Bye Bye Miss American Pie
by angelofjoy
Summary: With their fate decided from the very beginning, how do Sam and Dean deal with being told their lives are now in their own hands...literally in the form of dolls. Inspired by the song by Don McLean
1. A Long Long Time Ago

**_A/N: And this is also a story in my 2017 preview update. This is a song fic, it will deal with some origins and then into the new season of Supernatural, and then I'm not sure where I am going with it, but it's a new beginning so Enjoy!_**

Chapter 1: A Long Long Time Ago

Five women, all of varying in ages sat around a small table. One hummed, one played a drum, another a flute, and the fourth flipped through a book of spells. The last of these women placed a pair of dolls into the middle of the table before them and waved her hands while chanting a speech in a mixture of french and creole as the drumming grew faster, the flute fell into it's lower register, and the humming swirled with pitch and timber to fill the small shack on the outskirts of a small Kansas county.

"It is done," the last woman stated as she stood from the table and looked down at the dolls. "Cursed, or charmed, or protected for all ages, these boys will live. Life will not be easy, hearts will break, tears will flow like rivers and the ground shall quake with the weight of their mistakes, but they shall live," She said as there came a flash of light in the small room.

"What have you done?" The apparition asked of the women.

"What you have asked of us, these are them, not yet born but, not at all unthought of," the last woman answered and placed the dolls in the hands of the man who stood before them.

"You know that they will come looking, it is part of the plan," the man said. "It may come about sooner than you think, but it will come."

"We are prepared for the plan," the woman with the flute stated. "And so are you, Chuck," she added and bowed slightly as a halo of golden light appeared around her head. "Dance and be merry for now, but the end of all ends will begin and be brought by the blood of these boys."

"Why, though?" The woman with the drum asked, "why like this?" She questioned as the long braids of her culture, and beads and feathers fluttered strangely in the totally windless room. "You can do what you want, create as you see fit, oh great master, and be present for those whom you have chosen, but you have us cast spells and chant stories and place the music within them; why?"

"Because they must be tied to this place, unlike the beings I've created, these are the children of this earth or this creature and creation. That's how this whole creation works, that's where the story begins and ends, and that's why it was placed in motion a long time ago," Chuck answered. "I built them, and that is where I stopped, and they carried on through many things and created many wonders, and lived in wars and peace to be moulded and summoned and sculpted by man. It's not my place anymore, but I place them here to be my hands. It's just a spark, what they do with it is up to them."

"The bloodline is ancient and sacred, and the father and mother have made their vow to each other, but I could not stop the demon," The humming woman said as she folded back the silks that covered her arms and reached for the tea service to begin another ritual. "You called me here from my own place, with my own beliefs, to present yourself and yet you knew I would not be able to stop Azazel," She accused.

"You were never supposed to stop him, but had he not given her John then you would have made sure to bring him back," Chuck said and his words were like orders.

"Resurrection is an angel's job, not a witch's," the last woman, with skin as black as night and eyes as piecing as stars accused as well.

"And you are not a witch, now are you Davina?" Chuck asked with a glint like humour in his own eyes. "Not one of you see yourselves in that shadow of the art form, but rather you find you walk in the light; well most of you."

"Well I know I do," the woman with the halo and flute giggled. "But I am still a witch."

"Eva, your magic is so far from the darkness it could be of heaven itself," The woman in silk countered.

"And you are seen as a goddess of your craft and yet God himself is before you," the Native American woman said as her black tar braids danced on to the sound echoes of her now silent drum, feathers whispering, quite enough that you might THINK you could make out what they said. She spoke then, without taking her eyes off Chuck.

"I prefer priestess, Aiyanna, and you would be wise to remember that."

"As do I," Davina spoke again, "but we deal in magic and so we, all five of us, are witches by any respect and would be terminated by men like these should they set their minds to it. Do not be fooled, Rei, you are among us in their prejudice."

"Of the five of us, I am the one for whom they will judge you all," Rowena said haughtily as she clapped shut the spell book she'd been carrying the whole time. "And I am happy to say I am a witch; a very powerful at that. I find no shame in light or dark. There is only magic."

"Because you are not satisfied with only your Celtic magic, but are desperate and must know more power. That is the reason you will be a target, Rowena," Chuck accused and warned.

"I'll never be satisfied," Rowena said proudly. "But I've lent my magic to your cause, and there, let us see where it will go. I have God in my favour. Now you must keep your end of the bargain," she said and stood before him. "Come along now, I don't want to remember a word of it."

"Fine," Chuck said and snapped his fingers and she was gone.

"You'd best get on with it then. Take your play things and be gone with you, Chuck, and let us not speak of this again," Davina said. "For I believe these boys will get us all killed one day."

"And do you all wish to forget as Rowena did?" Chuck asked.

"No, but I don't want to be a part of this anymore," Rei said in response. "Send me home."

"Good bye," Chuck said and snapped his fingers.

"I'll do what I can, when I can, for the boys," Eva smiled sweetly. "If only to put people in their path ways and to offer light and love."

"Thank you," Chuck smiled and bowed slightly.

"I'll protect her," Davina said and motioned with her chin to Eva. "She seems a little too flighty and naive for her own good."

"Too much the southern bell for your liking?" Eva asked with a giggle.

"Too much the inexperienced child," Davina countered.

"You'll be the best of friends," Chuck said sarcastically and snapped his fingers again. "And you, Aiyanna, how do you feel about this plan?"

"I feel the earth and her stirring, she's not at peace, oh great one, and the darkness grows angrier by the day for her imprisonment," The last one responded and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"It's all part of the plan, Aiyanna. Do you trust me?" He asked.

"I do, but will they?" She asked and motioned to the dolls once more.

"I very much doubt it, but we'll carry on," Chuck said and snapped his fingers one last time.


	2. February Made Me Shiver

Chapter 2: February Made Me Shiver

A shiver ran up Dean Winchester's spine as he sat alone in the Bunker library combing through records kept by the Men of Letters. Chalking it up to nothing in particular, he returned his attention to the giant tomb of impeccable penmanship and, for the millionth time, tried to make sense of the lines he was reading.

"From what I can gather, the Men of Letters were spread out all over the world, but most chapters have been disbarred or destroyed. There was one in Guam but it fell to Sirens; of all the things," Sam Winchester spoke as he came into the library to settle in with his brother. "The french chapter fell to the Germans during the war."

"I killed Hitler," Dean interrupted as he looked up at his brother with his cock sure smile lighting up his usually serious visage.

"I was there, but you didn't necessarily destroy all the Thule, so on the nazi front our job isn't done. Just add it to the ever growing list of things to do," Sam countered sarcastically. "Like I was saying, France fell to Germany, Russia had a total of 92 chapters all across their vast land mass, all were destroyed by Abbadon."

"Are you saying the Americans knew about Abbadon before she took them out? Or that the Thule set out to ruin the French Men of Letters?" Dean asked and rubbed at his temples.

"Both, by the looks of it, the point is the Men of Letters are not all as prolific as they believed themselves to be. Aside from a faction on a little island in the Atlantic, the Men of Letters are extinct thanks for monsters, nazis, and demons. The angels even put an end to the faction in the holy land," Sam explained.

"Why would they do that, and when?" Dean asked.

"It would seem that the Israeli Men of Letters were far more atheist then one would imagine, and were spouting their teaching very publicly. The Muslims, Jews, and Christians were in uproar and probably would have finished them off themselves, but the Angels stepped in and ended the altercation to keep the peace," Sam read verbatim from the book before him.

"Peace, ha, those groups have been fighting each other all throughout their history. A common enemy of secularism brought them together and the douche bag angels ruined it," Dean said and shivered again. "I'll argue that heaven doesn't actually want world peace!"

"Are you all right?" Sam asked.

"I feel like someone's walked over my grave," Dean said dismissively. "Maybe it's psychological response to February, but it's happened twice now."

Sam watched his brother skeptically and accusingly for a long moment before Dean waved him off once more.

"So, why am I reading, or trying to read, this thing if you know the extent of the fall of the Men of Letters globally?" Dean asked and pushed the ledger away from himself.

"That is all we have on the British faction. If we want to know our enemy, we need to know that book," Sam said. "Because they sure aren't going to share any of their new secrets with us unless we decide to join their team, and even then, I'm pretty sure they'd prefer to keep us in the dark."

"Can't we just kill the ones that come here? Find a spell to get them to tell us all their secrets, and then kill them? They'll get the hint and stay on their island and rot away there with nothing to do. I mean come on, what would we do if we got on their boat and eradicated the paranormal from this continent?" Dean asked.

"Have normal lives?" Sam asked optimistically.

"Aren't we a little old for that now?" Dean asked. "I mean, a normal, honest, life is a pipe dream. If you need to have hope, by all means, go for it, but really, Sammy, how normal can we get? We've broken too many laws, attacked the president and escaped, started and stopped the Apocalypse, and I've played Doctor Phil to the Light and the Darkness. We're up the proverbial shit creek and the paddles we had, well, they broke the day I picked you up from Stanford, or maybe it was the day you said yes to Lucifer, but either way, we're sunk into this now."

"Who died and made you so metaphorical?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"Death," Dean quipped his answer and smiled. "I killed him too, and Hitler, man I'm good."

"Good point," Sam relented. "And I'm not arguing, I mean, at one time I saw myself having a future, but not now. What would we do?"

"I imagine you as a librarian," Dean joked as he leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the table. "At a huge, dusty, university or something scholarly like that. You'd be a glorified baby sitter, shushing the jocks and chasing horny freshmen out of the stacks, all while delivering papers to studious undergrads and making all the first year females have some not so chaste dreams about the hunky librarian. Older men do that for chicks," Dean finished with a wink.

"That sounds like a terrible plot for a porno," Sam said disapprovingly.

"Maybe that's what I'll do!" Dean said and shivered again, but this time the warding in the bunker failed and alarms began to sound.

"It's not nothing," Sam said as he jumped to his feet, pulled a weapon from a drop door under the table and moving into position as Dean had done.

"Something pretty powerful has found us if it can hack our system," Dean whispered and began using hand signals to silence his brother.

Moments later Chuck walked into the library by way of the iron staircase.

"What the hell Chuck?" Dean asked and lowered his weapons.

"Good to see you too, my son," Chuck said sarcastically and with a snap of his fingers the alarms stopped and the warding was burned back into the marble.

"Don't call me that," Dean warned grumpily, stashing his Desert Eagle in its hiding place as he sat back down.

"What's with the dropping in, and where's Amara?" Sam asked. "You could have just called."

"Nah, I needed to drop these off to you in person," Chuck said and then thinking the better of it he chuckled, "well in this form, because I'm not a person, but you know..." he trailed away into his own amusement and dropped two dolls onto the table in front of Dean.

"We don't mess with Hoodoo, Chuck," Dean said as he pushed himself away from the table, throwing up his hands.

"We'll, technically you have, since before you were conceived, but keep telling yourself that," Chuck said and winked.


	3. I Can't Remember If I Cried

Chapter 3: I Can't Remember if I cried

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked as he eyed the dolls with trepidation, but moved in to have a closer look.

"Don't touch them Sammy," Dean warmed.

"They look like us," Sam said as he stood up straighter.

"That's because they are you," Chuck chuckled. "And now they are yours to do with what you will," he added and turned to leave.

"Wait, why do you have dolls of us, and what do they have to do with Hoodoo?" Dean asked.

"It's a little more complicated than just Hoodoo. There is some earth magic, and some Celtic magic, and hoodoo, of course, sprinkle that with light magic and dark magic, and top it off with a blessing from a Shinto Priestess, and a song of creation, and voila, you have Sam and Dean Winchester. Well, plus the blood of your parents and my divine plans for the universe, but yeah I had these dolls made," Chuck said as if it were nothing at all.

"Why?" Sam and Dean asked together.

"Oh, so that I could guide you in my plan without actually having to hold your hands. You boys did wonderfully," Chuck answered and beamed with pride. "I'm so proud of you."

"I hate fate!" Dean cursed as he punched at the air.

"Hey now, calm down, it's all in your hands from here on out. Mind you, I wouldn't let those fall into the wrong hands, but I'm totally done with you so go forth and multiply!"

"Can you see how this could be a little aggravating for us?" Sam asked as he balled his fists but tried to stay calm.

"Well, in my defence, you should have never met me," Chuck said. "I mean, that's why I wear the Chuck suit. You should never have known I am like, the father of all." He waved his hands expansively around.

"In what universe were we not going to find out?" Dean asked angrily.

"Well, all of them," Chuck said as if it were the dumbest question to be asking God himself. "But that's the wonderful thing about this whole situation, and funny. You humans are funny, because I can't predict what you'll do, because, free will and all. Crazy right? You see, I had a plan and I put that plan into motion and then I sat back and watched you take care of it perfectly, or as best as I could have asked for. But still, you managed to surprise me, and oh it was entertaining. I mean, you killing death; I did not see that one coming. Or just how much that car means to you, I mean both of you. I'm sentimental now, with regards to the '67, but I had no idea just what sentimentality could do. Sam, you were wailing on your brother, Lucifer had his claws into you and that was all part of the plan. You were supposed to do that and then somehow the car pulled you out and pushed Lucifer back. I still don't get that. How did a car do that?"

"I don't know exactly, but it pulled me back to my brother and the plan that we made, and I did what I had to do," Sam answered.

"See, and that's amazing. I could have never predicted that," Chuck said proudly and with a little awe for the boys before him.

"You planned it?" Dean asked as he breathing in to steady himself and out to calm himself down.

"Oh yeah, and that whole Mark of Cain was never supposed to happen like that. I am grateful now for what you did for my sister and we are doing very well, thanks for asking, but that wasn't part of the plan and now that it's all finished. Lucifer is bound to tire himself out, you two have earned the right to be the masters of your own fate. So here you go, life is now in your hands," Chuck said picked up the dolls and forcefully placed them into Sam and Dean's hands. "See literally. How great is that?"

"But these are dangerous?" Dean asked.

"In the wrong hands, sure," Chuck answered. "Whomever hold them can control you. It's how the Hoodoo/Voodoo thing works. I think, I mean it's all a construct of man, the titles, but the magic is mine and Amara's mixed with a primordial spice. Those who learn to use it and divide it, brand it."

"And what if we destroy them?" Sam continued the line of questioning.

"Well, I guess you then release yourselves to chance if you destroy the dolls, but first you have to remove every bit of magic from them, and then you have to burn them in holy fire."

"Holy fire we can do," Dean said as he looked to his brother.

"How do you remove the magic?" Sam asked after a long moment of wordless communication between the brothers.

"You find the witches that cast their spells and lent their magic to my cause and you ask them very nicely to free you from the dolls. You have to round them up, put them back in the room where it happened, and that should do it," Chuck answered as he listed off the points on his fingers. "I was in the room where it happened..." he sang to himself and chuckled. "So if you succeed in finding the witches and get them to that place, I should probably be there too."

"So another wild goose chase?" Dean asked. "Like we don't have enough to deal with?"

"I gave you the dolls, you're the ones that want to destroy them," Chuck said and rolled his eyes. "Why can't you just keep them as a gift from the all powerful?"

"Because they are dangerous!" Dean stated angrily.

"And in the wrong hands, you said things could get bad!" Sam finished for his brothers.

"So it's better to just leave life to chance?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, wasn't that the whole point of creating man in the first place and then peacing out when you left them to their own accord?" Sam asked with accusation in his every fibre.

"Sure, but you boys are a special case, you know that right?" Chuck asked.

"I don't want to be special," Dean said, "I just want to be done with this!"

"No you don't, I know what you two were talking about just before I got here. You'll carry on in the same way you always have, believing yourselves the masters of your own destiny, which you wouldn't be without the dolls, but you aren't and weren't before. You did keep me on my toes, I'll give you that. The problem here will always be that you know the truth, you're in on it all. You've met God. You know how special you really are. You can't stop knowing that, so why does it matter?" Chuck asked as he fell into a chair and put his feet up onto the table. "I can't wipe that from your memories. You're stuck with the knowledge just like Adam and Eve."

"And what's stopping you from making more dolls?" Sam asked in retort.

"I won't be making them again for you. That time is gone. I may, in the future have to find new perfect creations to play the part, but at that point I'd have to do it before they are conceived, that's how the magic works," Chuck explained. "Generally speaking, it will happen with your bloodline, but it could be millennia down the line."

"What if the bloodline ends with us?" Sam asked and Dean nodded.

"It wont, trust me. Not with Dean's "girl in every state" life style and what the heck do you think happen while you had no soul Sammy? Running around on primal instincts?" Chuck asked. "Don't worry, my boys, the bloodline is safe."

Sam and Dean looked from one another, worry in their eyes, and back to Chuck.

"Forget I said anything," God said with a dismissive wave. "You want a true needle in a haystack, good luck back tracking through all your sexual partners. On the bright side, Dean, nothing happened while you were a knight of hell, so take comfort in that knowledge."

"When were these made?" Dean asked to change subject. As he poked his doll in the stomach he buckled over in pain. "Don't hurt them Sammy," he added as he caught his breath. "Don't do anything to the dolls!"

"They were made on the eve of the summer solstice, 1973," Chuck answered.

"That was well after Samuel Campbell died because of Azazel," Dean said through deep gasping breaths.

"It was only about month later," Chuck countered, "and had been in the works since well before that. I just had to make sure that John and Mary met, and that the love spell worked, to be sure the bloodline would carry on. Then I gathered my witches; and what better day then a solstice to have that kind of a party?"

"You enjoy this way too much," Dean said, shook his head and gently placed the doll down where he couldn't hurt himself anymore.

"Could you imagine these in the hands of the Men of Letters?" Sam asked as he put his own doll down.

"We need to find those witches," Dean said and stood up straight. "There is no question in my mind, we have to destroy these dolls."

"I agree," Sam nodded.

"All right, if that's what you want, I wont stop you, but I'm leaving it to you. Five witches, one shack, give me a dingle and I'll be there," Chuck said and tossed a smartphone, which had appeared from no where, at Sam. "And that will be the day that the music dies. It's been a good run boys, but you're right, it's time, onward into the unknown with you."

"You're not going to help?" Dean asked angrily. "Can't even give us something to go on?"

"I guess I can do that," Chuck said, "or it would be like looking for a single grain of salt in a vast ocean and you are busy boys," he added sarcastically. "So here you go; the white witch was called Eva and she runs a diner in Baton Rouge Louisiana; best beignets in the state."

"So are we doing this?" Sam asked as he looked to his brother.

"I think we have to Sammy. In the wrong hands, we're dead men," Dean said and sighed. "The Men of Letters will have to wait."

"Should we tell mom?" Sam asked.

"Where is Mary?" Chuck asked and with overly dramatic movements looked around the bunker library.

"She's off trying to find herself and her place in this world, but you already knew that," Dean said shortly. "And she's got a reaper trying to send her back."

"Don't worry about Billy, Amara will handle her. I have given my sister purpose; handling deaths job and wrangling reapers seems to be her calling," Chuck said as he stood and moved toward the stairs, "oh, and Rowena is your Celtic witch but I wiped her memory so she doesn't remember any of this. You may want to jog her memory before you find the shack outside Lawrence."

"Uhh, call Crowley," Sam groaned.

"Let's leave her to last," Dean said as he turned back to where Chuck had been, but God was gone.


	4. Miss American Pie

**_A/N: I'm loving this story but it doesn't seem to be getting any attention. If you're out there reading, let me know what you think. Thanks!_**

Chapter 4: Miss American Pie

"Oh my God, he's gone!" Dean gasped as he spun around. "I truly, and from the deepest part of my soul, wish we'd never met that guy!"

"I guess that's all the help we're going to get with this case," Sam said as he palmed the smartphone that Chuck had given them. "How much do you want to bet that he won't even answer this thing?"

"Not until he knows that we've gather all the witches together," Dean said and punched at the air.

"Do you honestly think he'll know that now that we have the dolls?" Sam asked and eyed the doll on the table as if it were a bug, of the creepy crawly or listening variety was irrelevant. In fact, Sam may have preferred the one that wouldn't give away their conversations.

"I think he's omnipresent, Sammy, whether he has the dolls or not is irrelevant. He just knows. Now why he needed the dolls in the first place, I've no idea and I'm sure these witches will try and tell us why we should keep them, but I'm unmoved. These things are cursed; therefore, we have a job to do."

"I agree with you Dean, they need to go," Sam said as he sat down at the table and opened his lap top.

"And that asshole gave us nothing," Dean cursed.

"Well, he gave us a name and a city, it's a start; at least it is for google," Sam said as he began typing.

"I want to know if Cas knew about these the whole time," Dean said and hit the number in his speed dial. "Hey, yeah, we were visited by Chuck. Can you drop in?" He asked into the phone and as he went to sit, there was a knock at the bunker door.

"Let him in," Sam said without taking his eyes off the computer.

"I'm going," Dean huffed and standing again moved toward the stairs.

"Why was Chuck here?" Cas asked as the door was opened to him.

"Reasons," Dean huffed and said no more until they were back in the library. "He wanted to drop these off because he said he was done with us," he said and motioned to the dolls. "Did you know about them?"

"We know that they've been made throughout history but we don't know the particulars that go into these dolls. And I've never been assigned the the chosen ones before. That is a God only avenue," Cas said as he reached for the dolls. "And taboo for angels. We've never actually seen them but we know they exist. I can feel the primordial energy, wow."

"Don't touch them," Dean warned. "They can hurt us."

"And they can guide you and summon you, and with them in existence, you can never truly die," Cas said in awe of the items before him. "These are the stuff of myth and legend. Angels are not supposed to see them ever. I can feel the magic radiating off of them, more power than I've felt since I absorbed those souls. Well, God is more powerful and so is the darkness, but these, they are right up there."

"That's why we are determined to destroy them," Dean countered.

"Why would you do that, this is your life force, this explains why Sam was able to have his soul returned to him. This is why you lasted so long carrying around the mark of Cain. This is your get out of jail free card. Why would you destroy them?" Cas asked and his voice was raised to panic status.

"Because we're done with God's plan, as he said, and so we're going to put our lives back to chance," Sam explained.

"Technically, and if I understand the process correctly, your lives have never been chance," Cas said and motioned back to the dolls. "God's plan for you was cemented when the spark of your being was created and placed into the safe guard of these object made of his hands; literally. Do you have any idea how often that happens, that God himself touches the spark and forms the entity?"

"You're going to say never," Dean answered.

"It never happens, or if it does, it's once every millennia or so. Sure, the spark, the beginning of it all was created by God, that's not in question, but when he set the first humans to earth and made them to procreate, the spark was left to his creations. They form, they are gathered in heaven, no one really knows why or how, and then when a child is conceived the sparks are laid within the mother. But you, you were handled by God before that could happen," Cas explained.

"That sounds so wrong," Dean said and shivered.

"Well, that's what happened," Cas retorted angrily.

"He told us how to destroy them, and so we're going to do it," Dean countered.

"He gave you the spell?" Cas asked in shock.

"No, he told us how to gather the ingredients," Sam answered. "But he seemed okay with our taking things into our own hands. And I think I've found her Dean," Sam said and spun around the laptop.

"Rouge Retro Diner," Dean read.

"The owners name is Eva, and she's renown for her beignets and her pies," Sam said and caught his brothers look.

"You had me at Pie, let's go!" Dean jumped.

"But what about these? What should we do with them?" Sam asked and motioned to the dolls.

"I guess we should bring them with us," Dean stopped his process and turned back. "In a lock box, warded against all kinds of bad things."

"That takes time," Sam protested.

"I could hold onto them for you," Cas said.

"You literally can't hold them, remember, it's forbidden or something," Dean said.

"An angel has never seen or touched one, I don't know what will happen if I do," Cas corrected. "But I am willing to find out."

"Sounds like a bad idea," Dean said as he shook his head. "We'll take them with us. Sam, you get on making that lock box, or see if there is one in storage. I'll get the car ready."

"What do you need me for?" Cas asked.

"I just needed someone to vent my anger to," Dean answered.

"Not like I was doing anything important for the reformation in heaven," Castiel said sarcastically and with anger in his tone. "Let me out, I'll keep an eye on you from my post," He added as he climbed the stairs.

"Thanks for coming," Dean called after him as Sam stood to release the angel from the secured bunker.

"I'm sorry about him," Sam apologized before Cas could take off.

"I know that is just the way he is," Cas said with a sigh, "but Sam, honestly, I would think long and hard about what you are embarking on. Once they are gone, they can never be made again. I don't agree that Chuck should have ever brought them to you, but maybe this is one of his tests, and destroying them is not, as far as I'm concerned, the way to handle them."

"What do you think will happen to us if we do destroy them?" Sam asked and there was concern in his voice.

"I have no idea, but when was it ever as simple as just destroying a creation that God himself had set into being?" Cas asked.

"Never," Sam answered.

"Exactly, never," Cas repeated and was gone in a blink.


	5. Drove My Chevy

Chapter 5: Drove My Chevy

Without raising the subject of his conversation with Cas, Sam did as his brother instructed, and within a couple of hours they left the safety of the bunker for the long road toward Baton Rouge, or rather a small town north of the big city called Slaughter.

As they drove along, Dean remained his usual stoic and silent self, while Sam carried on with his research. Baby hummed along, running at optimal performance and cradling Her boys as she'd done from the very beginning. In her trunk, protected and safe, were the dolls that, like Herself, carried around the life spark of these two men.

"Slaughter, now doesn't that sound ominous," Sam said out aloud just to break the silence that had been brewing between them too long.

"Like we're heading right into it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean," Sam said as he looked up from the laptop and out the window. "Are we jumping to conclusions?" He asked just to make conversation.

"Probably," Dean said shortly.

"Are we going to regret this?" Sam asked to keep his brother talking.

"Name one thing in your life you don't regret," Dean answered sarcastically. "He said the bloodline is safe, now I have a million more regrets."

"Well it hasn't been a million women. It has to be a large number," Sam teased and tried to make his brother feel better.

"Bitch," Dean huffed.

"Jerk. I wasn't exactly careful either," Sam retorted, glancing half sheepish, half smirking at the backseat.

"True, but yeah, I think we're going to regret it but what else are we supposed to do. The bunker isn't as safe as we'd like it to be. Cas said angels aren't supposed to have contact with these kinds of things, it's forbidden, and now we know what they do or what we've done because of them. We can't keep them," Dean said as his thoughts spilled out all over.

"What if it kills us to destroy them?" Sam asked. "Just throwing that consequence out there."

"Everything we do could kill us," Dean said with a laugh.

"And we come right back, because of these dolls, what happens if they're gone?" Sam asked more forcefully.

"You don't think he would have told us that?" Dean continued the line of questioning. "I mean, if it was a bad as you're thinking. Don't you think Chuck who apparently touched us before we were born, would just let us kill ourselves?"

"Do you think he knows what will happen?" Sam added to the string. "How many time in the history of this world, do you think he's been asked to destroy what he's made?"

"Well if the bible is true, then a couple at least," Dean answered.

"But not like these," Sam said, "there isn't any reference to this kind of talisman in the Bible, or the lore, and so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it hasn't been something he's dealt with before."

"Probably because he never had to hand them over before, I mean he said we should have never known him. So, if this has happened before, which Cas seems to think it has, then he's probably never had to give instructions to destroy them before. We won't find anything about them in spell books or the lore because it just doesn't exist," Dean rambled on.

"So maybe we should just leave it," Sam offered.

"We're already on the road," Dean huffed.

"True," Sam sighed and nodded, "but let's go at this with open minds. Maybe we should consult these witches to find out what they think will happen."

"They are probably ancient old hags," Dean said thoughtfully.

"Even then, we can't be sure that they are still living," Sam offered, "and if they aren't and we need each of their magics individually, we're screwed."

"Don't you think he would have told us that too?" Dean asked.

"What if he doesn't actually want us to destroy these dolls?" Sam was more forceful to hammer home the severity of the question. "What if this is a test of our loyalty?"

"You think God would lie to us?" Dean asked and quickly looked to his brother and then back at the night road. "And if he's questioning our loyalty, when we've done everything he's every asked us to do..." Dean grew angry again. "Or forced us to do, who know what it is."

"He didn't lie, he just didn't tell us because he's leaving it to us now."

"As it should be, or we should have been left to believe," Dean said and cursed. "That's what's got to me, Sammy. We believed for so long that the things we did could affect our fate. We knew that things were planned, spelled out for us, and that demons, angels, monsters, they all knew more about us then we did, but we worked so hard to make it us, and now we know that though we fought it, it all happened as he wanted it to. And now he's just done with us?"

"Well not exactly now, or we wouldn't have ever met Chuck or figured out who he really was. He had to reveal himself to us because we broke the mark of Cain and released his sister onto the world," Sam spoke to be optimistic, "and I broke free of Lucifer, we've been a pain in his ass and literally, we've fought his plan the whole time. We didn't make it easy on him and I have to believe that he's not giving up on us now."

"Good, that is a small consolation," Dean said and without thinking pressed down harder on the accelerator.

"But think about it, I mean really think, I would rather know and be useful should he need me then destroy that chance," Sam said. "If that's my true purpose in this world, I think I'm okay with it."

"And have him pull us out of hell, never to rest, always to work? To carry the weight of the world on our shoulders? Haven't we done that long enough?" Dean asked as he shook his head. "I want mine destroyed Sammy, and as much as I want to pull the big brother card on you, it's up to you to decide what you do with yours."

"What if we can't only destroy one, what if they are a pair and that's how it's always meant to be. You and me against the world, literally?" Sam asked.

"Then I guess I'll re-evaluate then, or try to talk you into it, but for now I'm taking Baby where I gotta go and we're going to find those witches," Dean said and that was his signal to end the prodding and just be.


	6. Did You Write The Book Of Love

**_A/N: Just another update coming at you..._**

Chapter 6: Did You Write the Book of Love

Slaughter was nothing like it's name; lush and green, a one street town where everyone knew everyone and Dean pulled through it like the great Black Plague was sniffing up his Baby's tail.

"Rouge Retro Diner, there it is and there it goes," Sam said as they blew right past it.

"I saw it," Dean said darkly and they continued along at a good clip. "And we'll get there but we're dealing with witches, and us being us, they probably already know we're here. I wanna believe that it's the sound of my beautiful car, but I doubt very much that they'd appreciate her. They can feel us coming, Sammy, and I bet it has something to do with those stupid dolls."

"So we're looking for a place to hunker down before we...what exactly Dean?" Sam asked in confusion. "I don't think Chuck would have sent us here to find these witches if he knew they were bad."

"They're witches Sam; hex bags, curses, vomiting razor blades, witches. Do you want to go in without a plan?"

"I thought the plan was to talk to this Eva and just feel things out," Sam answered with a roll of his eyes. "Open the lines of communication and be honest with the witch, one of five we have to find and win over to our side. And we already know Rowena's going to be a huge job if we don't have the other four to back us up. Why can't we just go in there and talk to her, human to human, who somehow had the good fortune, or misfortune, to meet God."

"Like we're going to start a fan club or something? Need I remind you that Chuck already has that in abundance, not only from the books he wrote about us, but also every major religion in the world worships him as the all powerful deity that he is," Dean said and shook his head. "You want me to go in there and talk to this witch like I don't think Chuck is a dick or that we are ourselves? We have a pretty bad reputation and I don't give a damn about it but I ain't going in with my guard down to pretend I'm something I'm not."

"It sounds to me like your guard is good and up," Sam sighed and fell silent.

"Fine," Dean said angrily.

The tires squealed, the back end of the Impala drifted sending dust and smoke billowing behind it and all in a moment Baby was heading in the other direction; back into town.

"I can't stand it when you pout like that," Dean said angrily.

"When I'm right, you mean," Sam countered.

"Don't Gloat."

The diner came into view once more and to their surprise it was the busiest location on the Main Street.

"Best pie in the county, I'm sure," Dean said as they finally found an empty booth. "I'll be the judge of that."

"At least it has that going for it," Sam said a little louder than he usually would just to be heard over the chatter that filled the space.

"Not our typical hang out, way too busy," Dean commented darkly.

"Bonjour boy, what can I get you?" A lady with a decanter of coffee asked as she turned over the coffee cups on the table and filled them up.

"We're here for the pie," Dean answered, flashed his winning smile and winking up at her.

"Oh Darlin, they all come for the pie. They stay for the good southern cooking," the server said with a flounce of her full fifties style skirt. "Come on now, I know why you've come," she added. "You heard that it was gumbo day, you'll have that, won't you?"

"Sounds good, and then pie," Dean said.

"We've heard that Eva is quite the cook," Sam said with a smile.

"Did you now, from whom?"

"Our friend Chuck," Dean said and watched as the woman's face twisted and her eyes flashed to another woman down the length of the breakfast bar. "Is that Eva?" He asked to draw her attention back to him. "We'd love to chat with her."

"No Darlin, that's Davina. I'm Eva and you'll have the gumbo," She said and fled.

"Well that didn't go as planned," Sam sighed as he leaned back in the bench seat.

"Witches, Sammy, what did you expect?"

"All right, scoot on over," Eva said as she placed two very large bowls down on the table and pushed her way in beside Sam. "So Winchesters, why are you really here?" She asked in a hushed voice. "I'm not hurting anyone. I've been out of the magic biz for a long time. I run a respectable business and feed millions of people yearly. I'm not hurting anyone, to make that clear, but you hunters like to roll into town just to eradicate so what are you doing flashing God's number one alias around like you know something about something?" She asked seriously.

"Well didn't you write the book of love, sweetheart, we just came to talk," Dean commented and smiled, throwing up his hand in defeat. "And to have a little pie."

"As a matter of fact, back in my good old days, I did write the book of love. You're welcome by the way. But calm down, you're not my type," She retorted and winked at Sam. "So answer the question; why are you here?"

"We're trying to reverse a spell Chuck had performed a long time ago. He wants us to gather five witches to remove their magic from some dolls before he'll free us from them," Sam answered honestly.

"Why would you want to do that?" She asked with a clear shake of her head, like she didn't hear him correctly.

"Taking destiny into our own hands," Dean answered.

"Oh Darlin, destiny was never in your hands and never will be. That's not exactly how it work, you know that right?" She asked with a laugh. "You have met God, you of all people should know that that's not how destiny works at all."

"Then how does it work?" Dean asked darkly.

"However he wills it," she answered. "Now eat your gumbo and I'll get you that pie," she said dismissively and walked away.


	7. Do You Believe In Rock And Roll

Chapter 7: Do You Believe In Rock And Roll

Eva never returned to the booth but sent another young server instead. The meal was very enjoyable, the pie was indeed some of the best pie Dean had ever tried and after a second piece just to solidify his opinion, they were ushered out of the diner, their table was cleared and reset, and new patrons occupied it before they'd even reached the door.

"So now what?" Sam asked as they walked out into the crowded parking lot and to where Dean had parked his beloved car.

"I'm not about to give up," Dean said as he noticed the other woman from the diner circling the Impala. "Hey, you, step away from my Baby!" he called out to her.

"Just admiring her," Davina said with a raised eyebrow. "And here to make sure you get the hell outta our town. There are no cases here, nothing more than a few hundred people and a busy diner that attracts people from all corners of the country. Nothing to keep a pair of hunters occupied."

"We are the case," Dean said in retort. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to make sure you leave Eva alone. She's all light and love, and would never hurt another soul. Me on the other hand, you should know better than to mess with the hoodoo," she warned.

"And you're not at all like her, so why are you protecting her?" Sam asked.

"Not at all," Davina answered. "But God asked me to protect her a long time ago, and so I will, with my life."

"We need Eva to help us lift a curse, we're not here to hurt her," Sam stepped in because he knew that the confrontation between Dean and this woman was about to escalate.

"What kind of curse, and why Eva?"Davina asked and stepped back. "There are much stronger witches than her and she hardly practices anymore, as she told you."

"But she performed the curse to begin with and we are told that we need her magic to lift it," Sam answered.

"Who told you that?" Davina asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"God himself," Dean spat his words angrily.

Davina's eyes narrowed on him for a long moment of judgemental contemplation, then she stepped away from them all together. "Nice car, very rock and roll of you, but there is nothing here for you so you should go on and git outta this town," she said as she turned to walk away.

"We're not leaving until we convince Eva that we need her," Dean called after her.

"Eva's not the only one you need, Dean Winchester."

"How do you know my name?" Dean asked.

"You have two dolls in the trunk of that car, both of which were constructed by a priestess for the purpose of protection and as vessels for the magic that would rule your lives and protect you from all harm. That priestess knows her work well and when it is around, the strength of its magic, no matter how strong the binding charms or the sigils, will call out to her. Eva isn't the only witch in this town that you need and I find it very insulting to ask to destroy that which was meant as a gift to protect you and hold you in the highest favour of the almighty God. So go on and move along because I'll not take back my gifts either," Davina said in hushed tones as she rushed back to them. "You don't leave and you'll know the true extent of my power. Do you understand me?" She threatened.

"Im not afraid of you lady." Dean said. "And we'll be staying as long as it takes to get you to help us out," he added, fell into the drivers seat of his car and beckoned his brother to join him.

"We really just want to understand what the dolls mean," Sam said to the angry woman. "And why God would turn them over to us," he finished and then opened the door and climbed in beside his brother.

Davina watched them until they were out of sight and then whispered something to a medallion in the palm of her hand.


	8. Kicked Off Your Shoes

Chapter 8: Kicked off Your Shoes

After a tour of the town, a visit to a local general store and the acquisition of a motel room, Sam and Dean settled in with little to go on aside for the fact that they'd found two of the four witches previously unknown to them.

"Well on the bright side we have located two of our witches," Dean said as he kicked off his boots and fell into one of the beds, "and the food was really good. I'd eat there again, and it's a bonus that it'll keep 'em thinking about us."

"I'm sure they are well aware that we're here to stay," Sam said and there were tones of suspicion on his voice.

"Something got you spooked?" Dean asked.

"Not exactly," Sam answered and sat down at the small desk with his laptop. "Why would Davina tell us she's one of our witches if she's not going to help us out and why would she wait till we came out to the car? She could have just come to us in the booth like Eva did."

"You think she did something to my baby?" Dean asked as he over reacted and jumped out of bed.

"You might want to give the car a once over for hex bags or something," Sam offered calmly.

"I'll kill that bitch if she's touched my car," Dean cursed and pulled on his boots again.

"A hoodoo priestess you mean," Sam said never drawing his attention away from his computer. "She runs a shop here in town, specializing in objects of the occult. Maybe we should check it out," he added and leaned back in his chair.

"We've got time," Dean said from the door. "I've gotta check on my baby. We'll go and do that tomorrow."

"Should we do anything else while we're here?" Sam asked before his brother could leave.

"Treat them like a case," Dean said with a shrug. "If they aren't going to help us and are doing bad things in this town, then shouldn't we deal with that?"

"And if they are?" Sam asked. "You kill them and we're out two of the five we need to destroy the dolls. What weighs heavier for you?"

"Saving innocent people," Dean answered, "As it always has Sam. If we can't destroy the dolls then we stick to the family business and these women are witches," he finished and fled.

"I figured as much," Sam said to himself with a roll of his eyes and got back to work on his researching the town.

If there was a case to be found in this town, and one involving witches, he'd find it and if they were harmless then he would be the first to try and convince his brother to leave the witches alone.


	9. Dig Those Rhythm And Blues

Chapter 9: Dig Those Rhythm and Blues

By the time darkness had fallen, and Dean had give his baby a thorough once over, twice, he and his brother ordered pizza from a local joint and barricaded themselves into the motel room for the night.

"She's fine, my baby is fine," Dean said as he passed by the window once more and check on her through the sheer curtain.

"Of course she's fine," Sam said preoccupied by the article he was reading. "How about the dolls?"

"If you knew she was fine then why did you send me into a panic?" Dean asked.

"To give you something to do so that I could work in peace and because a hoodoo priestess had been out by the car and had she left hex bags or something you would have found them, because you know every inch of Baby," Sam answered. "How are the dolls?"

"The dolls are safe and sounds," Dean answered. "And you mean my baby, right?"

"Yeah, Baby," Sam said.

"Are you trying to tell me that Baby is her name?" Dean asked with an accusing tone.

"Isn't it?" Sam asked and finally looked up at his brother.

"I guess, I mean, I never thought of her that way but yeah, I guess," Dean answered and sat down thoughtfully.

"Don't hurt yourself, Dean. It's just a car," Sam chuckled and went back to reading.

"What has you so preoccupied?" Dean asked to change the subject and to avoid the argument that would revolve around the 'it's just a car' comment.

"String of deaths in this town," Sam answered.

"I knew it, they need to die," Dean jumped to conclusions once more.

"No, these sound like crossroads deals to me," Sam said and suddenly there came a knock at the door.

Drawing their weapons and taking up their places, Dean moved ahead of his brother toward the door while Sam covered his brother's six.

"Last people we thought we'd see," Dean said as he opened the door, after having check out the lacy sheer curtain first.

"I've brought pie as a peace offering, may we come in?" Eva asked and held out the box and the boys lowered their weapons.

"How did you find us?" Sam asked as Dean invited the ladies in.

"The car gave you away," Davina replied.

"You have a thing for my baby?" Dean asked and watched her carefully.

"I appreciate the craftsmanship," Davina answered. "They just don't make 'em like that anymore. But even without the car being such a statement, the dolls call out to us, we would have found you like that. But boy, that car is a thing of beauty."

"Yes she is," Dean said and smiled.

"You'll have to come by my place, if you're going to be in town a while, I have a 65 Mustang Coupe and a 67 Camaro Convertible, they'd love to meet Baby."

"Ah, so you do appreciate the classics," Dean said almost seductively.

"Oh yes, boy, but I was around when they were born, so I have seen them evolve into the mess that they are now. I have a thing for nostalgia," Davina said and there was something like sadness and warning in her voice.

"But why are you here?" Sam asked to bring the conversation back around.

"We're not here to help you destroy those dolls, if that's what you're thinking," Eva said with a flounce of her skirt, "may I sit?" She asked and Sam nodded. "Thank you, been on my feet all day."

"We've come to explain why we wont destroy the dolls," Davina said to back up her friend.

"Why?" Sam and Dean asked in unison.

"Craftsmanship," Davina answered.

"They don't make em like you two very often," Eva said with a giggle. "Do you know the repercussions if they are destroyed?" She asked.

"No," Sam and Dean answered together.

"What would Rock and Roll be without the Blues, or a Melody without Rhythm?" Eva asked. "They would not be what they are without each other."

The boys shrugged dismissively.

"Here now, eat some pie, you must be hungry because your brains aren't functioning properly," She said with frustration.

"Why would Chuck give them to us if they are so important? We don't have the best track record with things of value," Dean said and refused the pie, much to Sam's shock.

"Your Impala is still pristine," Davina countered.

"That's because I've rebuilt her from the ground up, more than I care to admit. I could have given up on her but she's the only home I know, so I work on my car," Dean confessed.

"When he's not hunting he's working on that vehicle," Sam added to hammer home the point.

"Well at least you have a skill to fall back on when hunting goes belly up," Davina said sarcastically. "How about you Sam, librarian suit you or do you think you could go back to school as a 'mature' student?"

"Probably not, but if hunting does because of the dolls I'm sure we'd find another way to survive. We've managed all this time," Sam answered.

"But would you? Hunting was programmed into the hardware long before you knew what was happening. Before Sam was born, before John even met Mary. You think the demon blood plot was the beginning of the end, it wasn't. It was just the beginning of one prophetic path and I am sure there are others," Davina explained and tried a different tactic with the boys. "To destroy those dolls would be to break the path, cut the bond, and sever the plan. In short, let's take you boys out of the equation all together and see if the world can survive."

"Why us?" Dean asked.

"That's not a question for us, Love, that's something you need to ask the big guy himself," Davina answered.

"How many times have you done this before? Made these dolls?" Sam asked.

"Me three time," Davina answered.

"You were my first," Eva said sweetly.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"I fashioned Cane, and later Jesus, and then nothing again until you boys," Davina answered.

"You can't be that old!" Dean said in disbelief. "And we can't be as important as them."

"We look damn good for a couple of ancient hags, don't we?" Eva asked with a laugh.

"I'll give you that," Dean said as he began to pace, "but I can't accept that we're in a league at all with Jesus."

"Why the denial, Dean?" Davina asked sadly. "You've been through the apocalypse, the greatest battle between heaven and hell and you came through it, so why not have a purpose on earth like the one who came to save humanity from their sins?"

"But they died, I killed Cane. Jesus was crucified, what you're saying is that these dolls will save us from death!"

"Who's to say Cane and Jesus are dead in any traditional sense of the word? Jesus rose from the dead. You've been dead, in hell and heaven, and a carrier of the mark. Do you think any normal man could have carried such a burden? You already know that angel vessels are based on bloodlines and that you and your brother were meant for the most powerful of all angels. So yeah, you're up there with the greats," Davina explained.

"Why dolls?" Sam asked.

"Almost every culture has some doll lore, be it guardians or monsters, catchers of souls or possession charms. Dolls carry a likeness and God planted the thought in the beginning of beginnings, and then let his creation run with it. My practice holds them in the highest regard and that's why I chose to make you dolls to carry your essence when I was asked to fashion the vessel. Cane's was that mark and he carried it for a long time, and for the purpose that was bestowed on him by God. Jesus carried his cross as a symbol of the burdens that he would live for. You two hold all the lore, the monsters and the creatures, the charms and talismans of all time and every culture. Dolls seemed fitting for hunters," Davina explained. "Those two you have in your possession now, I fashioned for the keeping of all that is in you. They are special, they took time, and skill, and every ounce of me to make them. You want me to help you destroy my craft, my religious beliefs and practices, all that I hold dear in this world, and the next?" She shook her head in disgust, sighed and continued. "And; I believe we were right to make them for you, that you have a greater purpose that awaits you, your job here isn't done. There is a reason you will always carry on and why you are ready to kill us should you find that we are using our magic against that which you believe in."

"What about you, what did you do to the dolls?" Dean asked and looked to the other woman.

"I gave you light and love," Eva answered, eyes twinkling. "And maybe that spice that loves pie, old movies and a touch of the romantic. I'm why Sam loves the smell of old books and plaid."

"No way, that's not true," Dean countered defensively.

"You asked," Eva said with a shrug. "And deny that my pie isn't the best you ever had. There is a reason you like it so much. We're connected," She added a wink that spoke to something akin to himself.

"So if we are at a stand still, if the dolls are not about to go bye bye anytime soon, then what was the point in coming here?" Dean asked.

"We have a proposition to offer you," Davina answered. "We'll help you protect the dolls. All you have to do is gather the others, get them on board, and we'll cast a new spell. Bring the band back together and we'll cast them into the unknown, away from everyone and everything that would be bad for them."

"You'll cast them away but you won't destroy them?" Dean asked in confusion.

"We need you, the world needs you, so yeah," Davina answered. "There is a big difference between destruction and letting things continue to exist."

"You need us because you know there is a case in this town," Sam said as they let the new knowledge sink in.

"Yes," Eva answered.

"The demon deals in this town are coming due," Sam continued and both ladies nodded.

"And what would you like us to do about it?" Dean asked.

"Handle it, save those souls from damnation, and then we'll tell you where to find Aiyanna."

"Who?" Dean asked.

"She's the Medicine Woman who makes up part of the five and the one who gave to you all the healing powers that you were given to withstand hell, Lucifer, and every other bad thing that ever befell you. She's also why you were able to claw your way out of a six foot grave without suffocating or being crushed under the weight of the earth. You do know that, that is literally impossible without magic right?" Eva explained.

"Okay, we'll handle it," Dean said as he shared a look and a nod with his brother. "But we will also try to convince you and the others to destroy the dolls," Dean vowed.

"And we will let you try," Davina said as Eva stood. "Get some rest, if you can with the world shaking revelations that we've delivered to you tonight, and stop by my shop in the morning. I'll have what you need to fight the hounds and save the souls," She finished.

"Or we could call up the king of hell and have him hand over the contracts," Dean offered.

"I doubt that will work, but go ahead and try," Davina said and the ladies showed themselves out and disappeared in the parking lot before Sam and Dean's eyes.


	10. Teenage Bronkin' Buck

**_A/N: And we're back! Happy Friday, as you have probably noticed, and because I have a few other stories on the go, this story will come and go from my weekly update schedule mainly because of how I am writing it and sending it in larger chunks to my beta reader. For the next 5 weeks however, you'll see a new update, so enjoy!_**

Chapter 10: Teenage Bronkin' Buck

"What do you think?" Sam asked when the ladies had left them alone in their shady motel room.

"I think I hate witches; always have, always will," Dean grumbled his response. "But at least we have a third name," he added and began to pace the length of the small motel room. "Which really means we have four names, and that these witches have been surprisingly cooperative, aside for the fact that they won't help us do what we want to do."

"Sure, and a case, and a reason to check out Davina's shop. If anything maybe we can stock up on the essentials."

"Ha, like crystals and charms you pretty little girl you," Dean teased.

"No, like Goofer dust, you moron," Sam snapped. "What has me suspicious is; why all of a sudden do they want to just hand us a gift wrapped case? Something seems fishy, that's all I'm saying."

"I guess you're not sleeping tonight," Dean said as he flopped onto one of the beds.

"You're taking this whole thing well," Sam accused suspiciously.

"If they won't help us, and they are somehow to blame, then their not wanting to assist makes it that much easier to eradicate them," Dean said. "Bottom line, if they are doing dirty deeds, we get to kill them."

"Well that's harsh, even for you," Sam said from behind his laptop. "Little Dean Winchester isn't getting his way so he's going to throw a tantrum and kill everyone."

"It's the job, and you know it. I'm not going to stop on account of a couple of dolls," Dean countered. "It's the right thing to do."

"But your bitterness at not getting your way doesn't issue a death warrant for a couple of ladies who we can't prove are actually doing anything wrong."

"Witches, Sam, they are witches so the death warrant is, and had always been, printed and ready for signing," Dean said trying to reason his brother to the dark side. "It's not my fault that they became witches, but it's my job to protect people. They made their beds."

"I disagree," Sam said.

"I'm not just going to kill them," Dean huffed. "But I'm also not going to stand idly by and watch as they manipulate us."

"Neither am I," Sam said and closed his laptop. "And I'm not staying awake all night; the research can wait."

"Good, maybe we'll be able to see things clearer tomorrow," Dean said, rolled over and shut off the light.

By morning sleep had not cleared their minds but instead had offered up more questions. They ate once more at the Retro, Dean had pie for breakfast, and made their way to the shop. As unobtrusive as the priestess' shop could be, and dressed in a more traditional hoodoo gown, Davina greeted them pleasantly enough as they entered. There were two other people in the shop when they arrived, a pair of visiting snowbirds, who soon left with nothing but a smile and a wave.

"Harmless folk with nothing much to do, whatsoever, in their retirement but travel the country in search of oddities. Can you imagine that kind of freedom?" Davina asked once the couple was gone.

"No, not at all," Sam answered and smiled.

"Flaunting the magic a bit, aren't we?" Dean asked suspiciously, having paid little attention to the woman and her pleasantries until this moment.

"This is all for show," Davina said and motioned to her dress. "Give them the old razzle dazzle. It sells the merchandise when people think you know what you're doing. I prefer a more casual look, most of the time, and find myself, or rather my clothing, generally covered in grease, but I am trying to run a business here. I may know what I'm doing but that doesn't mean the teenage bucks and lassies do. But then again, what can I expect when I pay them minimum wages? They ain't crawling to me to learn anything, that's for damn sure. I think they all think is a big cosmic joke, and in a way it is. Most of the shit in here has nothing to do with hoodoo."

"So it's a uniform?" Sam asked.

"Just like your fake fed suits and hideous Mulder ties, yes," Davina said with a laugh. "That's exactly how this goes in this world of capitalism, and the ever ruling rules of commerce."

"Fake it till you make it," Dean said as his eyes wandered all around the store. "Not just a hoodoo shop?" He asked.

"A sucker is born every day, Dean Winchester," Davina said with a nod. "To some people these objects have power, to some they are just to make a buck. Most of it's knock off stuff made in sweat shops or gigantic factories overseas. I sell them all, nothing in the occult is off limits but my limits stop at the dangerous."

"So you wont sell to someone coming in with a spell you know to be bad?" Sam asked.

"You got it sweet thing. Or if I suspect something but can't prove it, I'll sabotage the ingredients with a little magic of my own. I still take their money, 'cause if you are stupid enough to try something in front of a true priestess, then you don't deserve that money anyway," she answered with a wink. "Most of the time all it takes is a little salt in the herbs and they are useless."

"So a legitimate business," Dean laughed. "I approve."

"Yes sir," Davina answered with a bow. "But enough talk of scams and business plans, we have a real problem to deal with."

"Yeah, with your abilities, why haven't you chased the demon out of town?" Dean accused.

"I've been able to stop the deal from happening, but I need you to stop the demon from cashing in. The crossroads was destroyed a long time ago. The spirits of my ancestors now guard it and have claimed it as a sacred space. So the demon is technically gone but the ten years have run their course now and I would like for you to deal with that business of saving the souls."

"Do you have any idea as to how many we're looking at?" Sam asked.

"Three, and I've done all I can to protect them but the demon wont come when I call because he knows I'm the one who chased him outta here in the first place."

"What makes you think he'll come for us?" Sam asked. "We're not exactly their favourite people."

"But you have gutted a hellhound before, I believe, so if you kill the hounds the demon is bound to pop in to finish the collection," she explained and laid a series of items on the counter. "I'm sure you have weapons enough of your own. As I understand it, beheading works very well with a hellhound. I will bless any instruments you may chose to use but to start here is some goofer dust, spectacles to see the beasts and a whistle to summon them to you."

"Summon them?" Dean asked and a chill ran down his spine. "Why in Chuck's name would I summon one?"

"It will pull them away from their intended victims for a time so that you can kill them."

"Handy, but who in their right mind would want to summon them?" He asked again, still disgusted by the idea.

"Someone wanting to kill them, in this case, you."

"Why can't you do it if you've already got all the stuff you need?" He asked, almost whined. "Hell hounds are not my favourite creatures."

"I'm going to protect the victims incase you fail," she said harshly. "So are you up for doing this or not?" She asked and slammed a map down onto the counter before her.

"What is that?" Sam asked before Dean could snap back.

"The map that I've enchanted to help you find the others," She answered. "You don't get it until the demon is dead."

"Fine, we're doing it," Dean huffed and snatched up a pair of spectacles. "Let's go."

"Wait, bring me your blades, I will cleans and bless them before you start hacking at hellhounds willy nilly. At least the blessings will be enough to guarantee they stay dead."

"They don't stay dead?" Sam asked.

"They're hellhounds, Sam, why would they stay dead?" Davina asked. "They're already from hell. Technically all you do is send them back to where ever it is they came from. With my blessings, you send them to the world of the spiritual cleansing, from there the creatures either stay within that plane or they pass on."

"Purgatory?" Dean asked.

"Sometimes, but there are other layers to this onion God calls the universe. It's not all cut and dry and Judaeo-Christian. So Eve rules over Purgatory, Hades over the realm of the dead, Calypso over the depths of the sea, the Thunder Birds in the blue of the sky, and each and every one of them have their counterparts or handmaids. God is the one true light, Amara the one true darkness, and everyone after that falls within the shadows of them both. Whoever said the Men of Letters were all knowing was gravely mistaken. You still have a lot to learn, and deal with."

"You mean ruled over Purgatory, Eve ruled over Purgatory," Dean commented.

"No, I mean you killed her here with the phoenix ash in this plane of existence, and you sent her back to her realm," Davina said. "She lives on there."

"So can you really kill an Alpha? Is the devil ever really trapped?" Sam asked.

"No," Davina answered with a slight shake of her head as if the ground breaking, world shattering, revelation were common knowledge. "You just send them back to mommy or daddy, and then they have to find ways to scape and claw their way back into this world like the spoiled rotten, tantrum throwing, toddlers that they are. I mean, really, we have it pretty good here, why wouldn't they want to come here? This is like the penthouse of the realms."

"So are they, the Men of Letters, really making a difference Sammy?" Dean asked his brother darkly.

"No, the Men of Letters are not actually making a difference," Davina answered the question and laughed derisively. "They like to think they are, with their Harry Potter-eque school and their blood games, and maybe they are saving the odd fellow here or there, but there are a hell of a lot of people, and monsters, working their way into this world. So they can't go near Great Britain, whatever, is it really all that great? Ha, no, tiny little island with an Oedipus Complex as old as the Anglos themselves, and yet, they aren't nearly as old as some of us, though they believe they are. The monsters just go elsewhere, and then are sent right back to whatever realm they came from. It's all evolution, and it was Chuck's ideas, so if you have an issue, take it up with him, otherwise, fight the good fight and get on the right side of it before they get you."

"Then how will your blessing help us?" Dean asked. "If all these monsters will just come back anyways?"

"Oh, my blessing will send your kill to the realm of my ancestors, whom I communicate with all the time. They'll show those pups a good time and they will never find their way back to this realm. So please, bring me your blades, I'd rather not deal with a rogue hellhound when it claws it's way back from a place I didn't send it to."

"Fine," Dean said and sulked out to his car.

"Is it really all that bad with the Men of Letters?" Sam asked when Dean was gone.

"They are practically useless, and they are aware of it, so they are scrambling to make themselves look better in the failing economy they dwell within," She answered. "Going the way of the dinosaurs, except they are putting up a fight. They don't know that you're bound to this plane, unlike them, by the almighty, that's what the dolls have done for you. You will always claw your way back to this plane. So they try to hunt you down; they might kill you, but you'll be snapped right back to where you need to be. Trust me, you want to keep those dolls fully intact, at least until you've eradicated the Men of Letters."

"It's our job to do that?" Sam asked, to no one in particular while he sighed.

"Well, no. It's your job to survive and surpass them. They will exist, regroup, and come after you again, or you could nip that in the bud," She answered as Dean returned.

"And what about our mom?" Sam asked.

"Sorry Sweet Heart, she's not part of the doll craze, unless Chuck did it himself. But you'll have her for some time if you protect her from the Men of Letters," Davina said and smiled sympathetically.

"What are you two talking about mom for?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"I'll let your brother fill you in," Davina said with a wink and scooped up the instruments Dean had placed before her. "I have a ritual to perform," she said and scurried off.

"Well?" Dean asked impatiently.

"One thing at a time," Sam sighed and followed Davina out of the shop.


	11. A Pink Carnation And A Pick Up Truck

**_A/N: Happy Friday! Just a head's up, there may not be an update next week because I have a concert that I am directing. Lots of work to deal with in the week leading up to it. But things will fall back into the regular schedule the following Friday._**

Chapter 11: A Pink Carnation And A Pick Up Truck

To perform the blessing Davina waited for her two young employees to show up for their scheduled shift, then set them to work in the shop, with strict orders not to disturb her. Once they were settled into the scam, she lead Sam and Dean out to a fire site in the rear of the shop. It was located in a fenced in garden, lush and green with all kinds of magical plants. They waited and watched as the priestess worked to open the gates between realms and worked the blades through the white smoke and flames of the fire. The blades of their machetes glowed red, then eerily white from within as suddenly the the voices of the priestess' spirit ancestors filled the boys ears with a pitch almost beyond human hearing. Then, as quickly as they came, the spell was finished; the smoke cleared and the fired died away. When the instruments were handed back to the boys they were strangely cold to the touch and seemingly unchanged.

"Can I trouble you boys for some hellhound blood?" She asked all innocence and purity, holding out a vial before they could flee. "Just let it run off the blade once you've killed the beast."

"What for?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"I'll be using it at the four corners of this town, as a repellant to make doubly sure that those things can't come back here," She explained. "You plant it with lilies and carnations, and if the flowers bloom in a year it's a good omen that you have cast your protection upon the land."

"Sounds legit," Dean said dismissively and snatched the vial out of her outstretched hand. "So how do we want to do this?" He asked his brother.

"There is a field at the end of the Main Street. Go there and summon the hounds. No one will see you in broad daylight out there," Davina answered, ignoring the fact the question was not directed to her.

"And what about the demon?" Sam asked, just as astutely ignoring Dean's huff of annoyance.

"I assume you have ways of verifying the authenticity of a demon? That I leave to your very capable hands and implore you only to send it back to hell where it belongs."

"So you want us to wing it?" Dean asked as he looked to his bother.

"The shackles are in the trunk of the car, so is the demon knife, and all the exorcism books. I'm just worried about getting it there," Sam said.

"First let's worry about the hounds," Dean said. "Do you have a number we can reach you at, just so that we can make sure that the victims aren't feeling any more of the affects. That way, we'll know it's done," Dean asked rounding on Davina once more.

"You have the dolls don't you?" She asked sarcastically. "I can communicate with your through them."

"Can we please just use a phone?" Dean asked.

"Fine, I'll call you," Davina said with a huff of her own.

"All right the number is..."

"I've got it, now git," Davina interrupted and turned back to her store.

Out in the field Sam and Dean familiarized themselves with the space. It was as most fields go, large and secluded by tall rows of evergreen trees to mark the boundaries of the land.

"She was right, no one will see this go down out here," Dean said begrudgingly once they stood together in the prepared location.

"It's all a little too fixed don't you think?" Sam asked.

"For once someone else did all the grunt work for us. Are you jealous Sammy, someone cheated you out of all the research and now we just take all the glory?" Dean asked with a laugh as he palmed his machete. "Blow the whistle, let's see if this works."

Sighing Sam did as he was told, the sound pierced the sky and with a tilt of his new glasses the hounds appeared huffing and snarling at the edge of the field.

"Well I'll be damned, it worked," Dean said and readied his stance. "Come at me bitch," He called out to it.

"Great idea, Dean, taunt the hounds that dragged you to hell already once," Sam warned as another and another appeared at different points around the field.

"Let them come, Sammy, this is what we were made for," Dean countered as the hounds rushed at them.

Cries and yelps filled the air as heads began to roll and one by one the hounds fell at their feet, and too their shock and surprised, as the hounds breathed their last breath they disappeared into thin air.

"Woo," Dean hooted. "That was so much easier when you can see them all coming."

"Sure," Sam said as the blood rolled off his machete into the vial he'd retrieved from his coat pocket.

"Do it again," Dean ordered as he heart rate returned to normal.

"You sure?" Sam asked.

"Sam, this is what I do best. Nothing else is going our way right now, so yes, call them again," Dean said and Sam obeyed.

Another slaughter, in Slaughter, and to Sam's shock a dark grey pickup truck appeared on the road leading into the field.

"Five-O?" Dean asked and held the machete behind his back and the truck came off the road, passed where they'd parked the Impala, and continued toward them.

"Whoever it is, this can't be good," Sam said as the truck stopped and a man in jean overalls climbed out and stepped forward.

"Winchesters, really, you're bad for business and here I thought the witches were up to no good," the man said as he stood before them, his eyes flashing his displeasure in their inky depths, before they returned to the vessel's true colour. "The farmer in here is displeased that you're messing up his crop."

"We've been expecting you," Dean said and smiled.

"You're wasting your own time," he said. "Three more and I'm moving to greener pastures. And you should too."

"You know we aren't going to let you take the last three," Dean said.

"What you gonna call up Crowley for more favours?" The demon asked slyly. "I don't work for him anymore."

"Who's running hell?" Sam asked.

"No one, no Lucy, no Crowley, no more answering to no one."

"With Lucifer back in his cage, wouldn't Crowley try to return order to hell?" Sam asked more to himself than anyone else.

"Who said Lucifer was back in the cage?" The demon asked.

"Isn't that where we sent him?" Dean asked.

"We don't know where you sent him but he ain't in his cage in hell, and though Crowley has his loyalists, we're not all following or coming when we're called."

"Well that's unnerving," Dean said. "But that doesn't change the fact that we are not letting you take those souls."

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

"This," Dean said, hit his lighter and dropped it to his feet. Quickly the fire spread and trapped the demon in a charred black devils trap.

"Oh the farmer is not happy with you," the demon growled. "What you wanna do, exorcize me?" He asked sarcastically. "That does nothing to release the souls."

"No, we'd rather kill you," Dean said and aimed the colt right at the demons faces.

"Release the souls from the deals and you live, by live I mean you go back to hell. Refuse and you get shot and we erase you from this realm and hells. We send you to whatever layer is worse." Sam countered.

"This town has been nothing but a pain in my ass since those witches rolled in. Have the souls," the demon said and snapped his fingers. "Now, let me mosey on outta here."

"All right," Sam said as Dean's phone began ringing, and his brother nodded that the souls had been returned to their rightful owners. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundos, spiritus..."


	12. I Started Singin'

**_A/N: And we're back to the updates! Sorry about the break. I should be fine from here on out - or rather until I run out of chapters have have made it through my beta reader..._**

Chapter 12: I Started Singin'

"That was just what I needed!" Dean said, adrenaline still pumping as they sped away from the field.

"I'm sure it was, but if the demon was right we should probably skip town ASAP. That farmer that we just left dumped in the cab of his truck isn't going to stay out cold for long, and we did set fire to whatever that crop was," Sam said more sanely as the Impala engine roared.

"We're gonna pick up that map and we're gonna hit the road, Sammy. We aren't staying in this town any longer than we have to and because Davina called me, I captured her number. We'll be able to call and tell them where to be once we've rounded up the other three," Dean said and then began signing along to Zeppelin on the radio.

Sam reached out and turned the volume down but Dean kept on singing.

"Dean, this isn't over. I hate to be the downer but we've got a lot of information, belief shattering revelations, today. Should we really be singing and celebrating?" Sam asked loudly to stop his brother.

"When do we not get world shattering news?" Dean asked gruffly, aggravated now. "I broke the first seal, you're the vessel for Lucifer, purgatory is very real, god goes by Chuck Shurley and makes money exploiting us. So Lucifer isn't in his cage and the universe has layers. Physicists have been saying that for years, they just can't agree if it works in strings or waves. I say; who the hell cares, the theory is sound."

"When did you get into theoretical physics?" Sam asked in shock.

"When Sheldon made it fun," Dean said. "Another ground shaking revelation for you, eh Sammy?" He asked and winked. "When the world stopped being about killing monsters and saving people, when heaven and hell became tangible thing, and because I started watching the Big Bang Theory when I get drunk. Penny is hot Sam, and physics will one day explain everything."

"And for the first time ever you seem well adjusted," Sam said and sighed.

"We probably shouldn't have left the farmer out in that field like that," Dean said and then cranked the music once more. "Wonder if Davina will let us keep the whistle," he yelled over it.

"God I hope not," Sam said to himself and was drowned out by the rock and roll.

Back at the motel, as they packed up to head out, a soft knock on the door announced the return of the ladies as Eva and Davina walked in with their arms full of supplies.

"What's all this?" Sam asked.

"Well clearly you're leaving us, Sugar. So I packed you some food. It's a long road to the Nevada desert," Eva said and Dean rushed forward.

"Oh you brought pie," He said happily and by way of a thank you.

"I know you'll miss me," she said with a flounce and a wink.

"For you," Sam said and handed Davina the vial of hounds blood.

"And, as promised, your map," Davina said and handed Sam the enchanted parchment. "Use it wisely and, for the geek in you, say 'mischief managed' and it will fall blank."

"Does 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good' make it work?" Dean asked excitedly.

"So you're the geek?" Davina asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, you and Sam holding it, the dolls in the trunk, the magic within you, that is what makes it work. Mischief managed is just a fail safe in case someone is looking over your shoulder."

"Boo, but can I keep the whistle?" Dean asked, almost child like.

"Knock yourself out Slugger," Davina laughed.

"Oh my god, I'm using Dad's bat on the hellhounds next time Sammy!"

"You need to calm down," Sam warned.

"I also brought you some other odds and ends. Some fresh herbs and a couple of things that I've gathered about the Men of Letters over the years, not that it's new news to you," Davina said as she continued her conversation with Sam. "I also figured you could use this holy oil and these cypress stakes."

"You can never have enough cypress stakes," Dean said sarcastically.

"Never mind him, he hasn't come down from his adrenaline high and your friend keeps giving him sugar," Sam said and his brother felt the sting of the insults. "Thank you for everything. We'll be in touch when we've rounded up the others," he added to Davina and Eva while Dean pouted.

"We'll know about it. Aiyanna and Rei remain in tune with the dolls, they are expecting you. Rei will likely be very chill about it. Aiyanna is very intense, so she'll probably give you the hardest time because she's a little prophetic," Eva warned.

"Have you met Rowena?" Dean asked sarcastically. "We're not exactly pals of hers."

"Rowena is a kitten compared to Aiyanna," Davina responded. "You'll need all the luck we can send you with to get through to her."

"Blessings and peace upon you boys," Eva said and leaned in and kissed Dean on the cheek. "Come back and see me sometimes. The pie will always be fresh."

"I thought I wasn't your type," Dean responded flirting with the pretty blond before him.

"Oh Darlin, you're not," She winked.

"Blessings and knowledge," Davina added and took Sam by the hand. "You need to use this stone to find Aiyanna," she finished as she placed the turquoise pebble in his hand. "Place it on the map and it will guide you."

"And watch out for the Thunder Birds," Eva warned.

"Whats wrong with classic cars?" Dean asked.

"No, like the great spirits that rule over the world above," Eva answered.

"Looks like more research for you," Dean said and smacked his brother on the arm.

"Good luck boys," the ladies chimed together and then left.

"Could you not eat all of that food before we hit the road?" Sam asked as Dean dove into the pie; disregarding the previous pie he'd already finished that day.

Sam unrolled the map onto the desk and placed the piece of turquoise down. "Looks like we're heading for Northern Nevada."

"That's going to be one hell of a drive, better get my strength up," Dean said with a wink and carried on with his pie.


	13. We've Been On Our Own

_**A/N: Happy Friday!**_

Chapter 13: We've Been On Our Own

By evening Sam and Dean were on the road once more, crossing the country for the second time in so many days, and although they were well fed for this leg of the journey, the further they traveled the more like a fools errand it all seemed to become.

"So talk to me Sammy, what's up with these Thunder Birds?" Dean asked on the second day of driving.

"Mythical creatures in line with the phoenix but keepers of the realm above. Now if that means heaven or just another layer, I don't know, but they seem to be powerful enough," Sam answered as he scrolled through the files on his phone.

"Will the Colt kill them?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Haven't gotten that far just yet but they can kill you with electricity," he added as he read.

"Anything on Aiyanna?" Dean asked to keep the conversation flowing.

"Lot's, she's well know, well liked and a great teacher of her people, whichever those are, all of them by the looks of things. She can't be pinned down to one tribe or another, though the Thunder Birds are Ojibwa." Sam explained.

"They're a long way from home," Dean commented. "Great Lakes regions for the Ojibwa, no?" He asked.

"Generally yes, but it sounds like she picked them up somewhere along the way and they stay with her because of her powers. It looks like she is well traveled. Says here she hails from the northern tribes with great ties to the southern peoples and a name for herself among those in the Great Plains. She's a medicine woman to all, she brings fertility and prosperity where ever she goes, oh, and she is know for her activism and understanding of the Great Spirits; like all of them. People believe she's as old as creation itself and that it is by her various incarnations, known as her ancestors, that the curses set out by Native Americans against the white man have come to be. She is part of the deep magic, a thread that runs through all living things."

"Please don't remind me of the bees and the bugs and all that mess in Oasis Plains," Dean grumbled.

"You have to know there are worse curses in the lore than just that one. Phantom creatures that destroy crops and settlements. The water turns to dust and the forests that over take the people," Sam said still reading. "She does seem pretty great though."

"Of course you'd find an ancient witch to idolize," Dean huffed.

"She's beautiful," Sam said and held out his phone to his brother. "She's keeping a blog now and is staying in the ghost town of Sulphur Nevada."

"Why the ghost town?" Dean asked.

"Says here that there is a gateway to the spirit world in Sulphur but that the tragic deaths of the miners have the spirits trapped. She's there ghost busting," Sam explained. "For the purpose of reclaiming the land for the people of that area. Most western thinkers believe her to be a fraud but the Native Americans follow her wherever she goes."

"She's a woman spouting off about the supernatural in a world of skeptics. What do you expect of "red blooded American" types?"

"Skepticism is relative to ones upbringing," Sam commented haughtily.

"Sure, whatever, I'm just saying a woman making waves like that is bound to bring out the critics," Dean said. "Especially in todays connected world. I wonder what it would take to enact a curse in this climate of water warriors and pipeline protesters. Could she shut down the internet to all white people? Could you imagine a curse like that? The Millennials would die off in days! She should watch herself though with the Men of Letters trying to eradicate the supernatural from this country, she's bound to be on their radar. Are we looking at another cultural genocide brought on by western ideologies and big business models?" He asked philosophically which made his brother turn and look at him with great interest.

"Who's side are you on?" Sam asked.

"I really don't know anymore Sammy," Dean answered with a sigh. "But I'm sure they'll see us as the enemy while we are fugitives of the federal government, again, or dead men with bounties on our heads because of the Men of Letters, or myths to those in the know about what we really do. All I know is the Men of Letters are literally threatened my livelihood and by doing so maybe they are working to have a horrible history of disinterest and disregard for other beliefs make a come back in a big way. Now I know that sounds hypocritical of me but I'm one man just trying to get by after ten plus years on my own in this wilderness with ground shaking revelations and lives lived in ancient lore. I know you see the world changing around you but can you say you're ready to change with it?"

"I don't know," Sam answered thoughtfully. "I'm not ready to roll over and die but I also don't know what I'd do if the supernatural was eradicated from this country. Do we flee or do we stand our ground with the rest of the people trying to protect this planet from the onward march of capitalism and the global economy?"

"I'm old fashioned, I think my car speaks to that, and the fact that I kill with my hands and I still have cassette tapes. But am I at a point where I would join forces with a team of witches or whatever to stop the tides of progress? I don't know. The lines are so blurred these days that I don't know which side I'm actually fighting for anymore," Dean rattled on as the road rolled by under them. "I mean I'm all for saving people, that's my side, isn't it, but how do we do that when whole groups of people with different beliefs are the ones being marginalized and attacked by the march of progress and the old ideals? Black and white isn't all that cut and dry anymore, it's all the shades of grey that bring out the shadows and light and we're the ones left to stumble onward."

"Our plight sure doesn't seem as big as all that until you put in into the bigger picture," Sam commented.

"The weight of the world, not just this country or this highway, or the dolls in the trunk, it's all on our shoulders, all of it Sammy. That's what those dolls mean. We have met and saved God himself, we are the bearers of the worlds weight, the universe's weight, and there are forces beyond our control working against us. The more I think about it, the more I see why Chuck would write our gospel even though I do not agree with him profiting off of us," Dean said and as he spoke he unconsciously pushed the impala to move faster as if fleeing his thoughts.

"I guess we just keep on moving forward because there's no going back now," Sam sighed and dove back into his research.

"Yeah, no going back but the road head is full of twists and turns and forks and the path to all those regrets. We'd better come up with a plan to survive it all or we'll be swept away too."

"Will God let that happen to us?" Sam asked.

"He handed over the dolls didn't he? It almost feels like he's giving up and wiping his hands clean of us," Dean said darkly and silence fell between them.


	14. Moss Grows Fat On A Rolling Stone

**_A/N: Sorry this is late this week, I had a really depressing, blah, kind of week and I'm only forcing myself to do this because I feel bad about feeling bad…_**

Chapter 14: Moss Grows Fat On A Rolling Stone

Sulphur was dusty, hot, and dry in the midday sun as Sam and Dean rolled into the, off the beaten path, ghost town. The desert stretched out around them, the vultures cried out into the vast sky and the thickness of the air seemed to pull the moisture from their breath.

"I hate this place already," Dean said parched from the suns heat as he climbed out of his car and looked up and down the street. "Who would want this land?"

"You ready to squat in a ghost town?" Sam asked over the top of the car and grinned at his brother's complaining. "You'd better get used to it."

"I thought you said our witch would be here," Dean huffed his response. "I half expected a welcoming committee."

"There's another town about an hour out from here. We should look around and then maybe head out and get a room in a place with running water, electricity, and air conditioning. I don't think we have enough water to get us through this dry heat if we stay," Sam reasoned and moved to the trunk. "As for Aiyanna, the map says she's somewhere around here but I can't zoom into a map like this one. It's on parchment not google! I can't be pin point accurate. Maybe we hunt some ghosts and get a feel for this town?"

"It's not even a town, Sam, it's a dead zone," Dean huffed but accepted the tire iron and a shot gun from his brother. "And for the record, we have beer enough to keep us hydrated."

"Alcohol DE-hydrates Dean," Sam countered.

Sam and Dean began to move through the abandoned town, picking padlocks and combing through creaking old buildings. Nothing seemed out of place, in fact, it all just seemed trapped in time somehow, but nothing disturbed them as they finished their primary investigation into the ghost town.

"Can you call it a ghost town if there aren't any ghosts?" Dean asked as he stowed away the EMF detector and moved into the street once more. "There is literally nothing here."

"Just abandoned, maybe Aiyanna has finished what she set out to do," Sam offered.

"But the map..." Dean said and his voice trailed off.

Suddenly movement from between a pair of building caught Dean's eye and he rushed off in pursuit of what he'd seen.

"Not a ghost Sam," Dean yelled just before he ran head long into what felt like a brick wall. But as he staggered back he realized that he'd actually been grabbed by a man, larger than his brother, and build like a bulldozer.

"What are you doing here?" The man grunted.

"Looking Aiyanna," Sam answered with his hands raised as he caught up with Dean. A second man, just as big and built as the first, suddenly stepped out behind him and blocked the only path of escape.

"Winchesters?" The second man growled, and at the sound of his voice the sky began to darken, clouds of a storm blanketing what a moment ago was a sunny day.

"We were told she'd be expecting us," Sam said and anger flashed in the first man's eyes. He caught Dean around the nape of his neck, hands like vice grips. "Let my brother go!" Sam yelled but before he could raise his weapon the second man grabbed him as well.

"Peace," A woman's voice called like a song on the stirring wind. "They come with blessings from my friends. Unhand them," she ordered as she appeared out of thin air, or maybe she came around the building, the boys couldn't be sure as they were dropped into the dirt and dust at the feet of the giants. "Go now, keep watch," she added and the men changed before their eyes into great black birds and flew into the brewing storm. "Come, we must find shelter, the Storm is coming," she added as Sam and Dean gasped for air. True to the woman's words, thunder began to roll over the town.

"Add Thunder Bird to the list of things I don't ever want to meet again in a dark alley," Dean said as he found his footing and moved, staggering, to help his brother up.

"They are harmless if you respect them," Aiyanna commented and moved as if she floated into the nearest building. "Choose disrespect and they will cause you much harm and pain, and I'll not stop them. I don't care who you are, or my hand in your making, I do not deal well with disrespect."

Sam and Dean followed hesitantly but as the rain began to pour down they decided shelter was a better idea.

"I know why you are here but do you?" Aiyanna asked as they found her seated on a woven rug and wrapped in a shall of ribbons and quills.

Though the air was still, parched of moisture and full of dust, the feathers in her hair danced. The gentle jingle of her amulets and beads made a mystic sort of music, though not all who beheld her would willingly listen.

"I think we knew when we set out but it all seems so unclear now," Sam answered and she motioned for him to be seated on the floor before her.

"That is not entirely true now is it Samuel?" She asked and he was caught by the gleam of knowledge in her dark eyes.

"What are you not telling me?" Dean asked with a huff.

"Cas warned me not to destroy the dolls," Sam confessed, "and Davina believes that their purpose is to help us withstand the onslaught of the Men of Letters. If we destroy them, we won't win against them."

"Just as everyone else has warned us, and what, you just didn't want to fight about it?" Dean asked darkly.

"You can be head strong Dean Winchester," Aiyanna said before Sam could answer. "But you usually find your way to what is right. None of what Samuel is telling you is new to you, in fact, you would have come up with all of these theories on your own time. Samuel is analytical and slower to jump to conclusions. He listens far better than you. Samuel can see the merits of every side of an argument and he will make up his mind based on fact, thought, and information. Though he can, at times, be persuaded away from logic by your passions."

"She's got us nailed down," Dean said suspiciously.

"Davina did say she was prophetic," Sam countered and looked to his brother pointedly.

"I am why you are tied to this plane, and by now you should begin to understand the magics that have formed you. I've been with you always and I have the capability to influence your world because of the land on which you tread," Aiyanna spoke softly as the thunder outside crashed and the rain roared. "I placed in you the heart beat of this land, your roots grow deep and plentifully. In your bloodline are the ancient markings of the first people. Science could prove me right if you don't believe me, but it is why I am connected with you and thereby my magic as well."

"There is nothing about us that is unique," Dean huffed as he began to pace by the windows, having not accepted the invitation to sit.

"Or are you the unique thread that forms the tapestries of those who come into your lives, into your favour? You are special ones, you are aware of that, unique in how you were created, and how you continue. Are you simply angry at being told of your gifts? Or is this your way of trying to exert your authority over me?" She asked, her eyes growing darker and voice deeper. "Because I have dominion over the land and you to are my creation." Her voice boomed in time with the Thunder at the end of her statement.

"I just want to be like everyone else," Dean yelled. "Why does it all have to be on us? The apocalypse, heaven and hell, monsters, light and darkness, why is it my job?"

Eyes lightening again Aiyanna's voice softened and warmed as she answered. "Because; that was the plan and the purpose all along." The rain outside grew softer too, seemingly trying to soothe away its earlier staccato.

"And I have no say in this?"

"All of your decisions, and how you handle yourself, is your say Dean Winchester. We put you on a path, it was the plan of the almighty, but he did not give you instructions or rules, he only gave you the long road."

Dean spun on the comment and stared her down.

"You're neither at fault or to blame, you have handled yourselves very well and humankind has benefitted from your kindness, compassion, and willingness to see good in creatures you may despise. You've walked the righteous path and you carry on. You've come to not gather moss or be idol, but to change and save lives. You ramble on even in times of calm. You are the ripples on the water, the wind before the storm. You are the warning that there is danger afoot."

"Is there danger here?" Sam asked.

"There could be," Aiyanna answered. "I hope to put an end to it and reclaim this place for the first people who walked upon it."

"What can we do to help?" Dean asked as he finally came and sat down before her. "What must I do to convince you to help us with the dolls?"

"I was always going to help you, but I will not destroy them. You are too important," Aiyanna answered. "You need not stay here in Sulphur, I can do this work myself."

"No, I want to help. What can I do?" Dean said after a long look at his brother.

"Always on the right path," she said and for the first time she smiled. A small ray of light beamed through the rain clouds and window, lighting her face.

"If there has to be a path and a plan, at least it's a good one," Dean said and sighed. "How can we help?" He asked again.

"There is a rather strong poltergeist in this place. It will not come near me because of my dominion over the land which it has scared. I have done too much for it to have dominion over me, and so it flees me. You may make the work go faster if you are determined to help."

"Davina sent us with all the roots and spices we may need to ward this place from the poltergeist," Sam offered.

"I know, it was very kind of her," Aiyanna said. "I have been using my sage here for days and calling on the spirits that are trapped here. I'm also waiting on a friend to arrive to help with the poltergeist victims; but, if you are serious I have an idea of where the spirits hails from."

"What can we do?" Dean asked. "I'm ready for a fight."

"Peace, we are not fighting at this time," She said sweetly. "Just breathe, Dean Winchester."

He did as he was told and calmed in a way that was unlike any he'd ever known before, though his look still had skepticism and questioning in his eyes.

"All spirits come from the same place, they were once souls of this land, but in death their torture was to great. Some turn to demons, others hold onto scraps of humanity, but still they remain trapped. This poltergeist was once a slave in this mining town, not the slaves of the Deep South but a man so desperate for money that he came here in his naïveté and was taken advantage of. He died in the mine as a joke for others and he later caused the great collapse that killed them all. His transition was swift and he lost his humanity because of hate. He protects his bones and holds the souls here captive for their power. He gains more power from the vortex between worlds and will not allow the crossing to occur."

"So what do you want us to do?" Dean asked.

"I need you to get close enough to burn those bones so that I can open the vortex and let the spirits of this land take hold and reclaim it. The poltergeist will fight you, I've not been able to weaken him much," Aiyanna explained to answer his question but also to warn the brothers. "I am here to wear him down, but I have not been here long. My work would take much longer if you were not here to lend your aid but I warn you, things will get violent."

"So we take turns fighting while the other digs?" Dean asked his brother.

"It won't be that simple. The poltergeist controls the other captive spirits," Aiyanna said. "My Thunder Birds will assist, and so will I, but I cannot promise it will be easy."

"Nothing is ever easy," Dean said sighing again, "Where are the bones buried?"

"In an unmarked grave just beyond the Sulphur mine. I will take you to it when the rain has passed, but it will take a few days for this rain to weaken the spirit."

"This rain is part of the plan?" Sam asked.

"Yes, rain is the purifier. Calm or torrential, the waters wash away bits and pieces of the corruption. The birds bring atmospheric change with the charge they have sent into the heavens. They water the scorched earth, life will return to it in the days after the rain and the new life weakens the power of the evil that has taken hold. Then I will call the spirits with the holy fire, with herbs and spices, for healing. You will be blessed by the smoke, kissed by the rain, and then we will embark on the quest to free the poltergeist from its hatred."

"All right," Dean said and stood. "We'll pack salt rounds while we wait," he said to his brother.

"And mix up the poultice that we'll use on the four corners of this town," Sam said and joined his brother.

"We will plant the packages with sweet grass and cedar. It will protect this place," Aiyanna said and stood as well.

"And who is this friend we are waiting for?" Dean asked.

"Her name is Regina, she's what you would call a reaper, but for us, she is a traveler of the realms."


	15. When The Jester Sang

**_A/N: Happy Canada Day! (Technically it's tomorrow but we've been celebrating this special 150th anniversary all year.) So this is going to be the last update to this story for a little while as I work to write and my beta edits more. Hope you've enjoyed it so far! Leave a comment to let me know how you're feeling. Enjoy!_**

Chapter 15: When The Jester Sang

The reaper arrived two days into the flooding rains and entered into the old church that the medicine woman had claimed as their living quarters for the time. Sam and Dean laid down salt lines and tested the poultice in the corners of the building to keep the spirits away and worked diligently on sharpening their tools, packing salt rounds, and listening to Aiyanna as she drummed and sang in preparation for what was to come. But two days of sitting and waiting was enough to get on anyone's nerves.

"Do you feel like a puppet in all this?" Dean whispered to his brother one day as they stood near an old stained glass window and looked through the broken glass at the storm outside.

"All the time, but at least we're not the fools in it all," Sam said in response.

"Are we not?" Dean asked as the doors opened and a beautiful woman in traditional dress, glorious regalia of feathers and beads, followed Aiyanna back into the church.

"The time of the rain is nearly over," Aiyanna announced. "This is Regina. She's finally been able to pass through the poltergeist's fortifications."

"You were bared from this place?" Sam asked.

The woman before him bowed her head in an affirmative nod but did not speak.

"She's been silenced in this land for many years. Her voice taken, her connections with the spirits broken. Once the poltergeist is destroyed she will be able to shuttle the souls through the vortex here and this land will be pure again, and her voice will return to this land to whisper the sounds of the after life to those who need to hear them," Aiyanna explained. "The souls will once again move freely by her."

The reaper bowed again and took up a place on the woven mat to wait. Aiyanna presented her with cedar tea and tobacco and the woman seemed to fall into a sleep as she sat there.

"The rains will end tonight and the poltergeist will know she's here," Aiyanna said and began to sage the space once more.

"We'll have to work fast," Sam said to his brother.

"No, slowly. One day after the rains stops we will build a large fire in the centre of the town. There I will perform another ritual and the spirits of this place will come to know you as protectors. As the fire burns down the smoke will blanket the town and you, and you will rest for a time. Then at dawn, as the sun rises, the call of the creator will awaken, and we will travel to the grave to begin the work."

"And what are we supposed to do until then?" Dean asked anxiously.

"Be calm, meditate, talk to your ancestors, and look to them for guidance, or simply pray and listen as the creation responds."

"Look, I respect you, and your whole culture, and all that's... but have you met me?" Dean asked.

Aiyanna laughed and her laughter was like a song ringing out warming the heart and soul. "Then perhaps you would prefer a day of drink, while your brother studies."

"There isn't any wifi out here lady, it's a ghost town," Dean said and the tone made her giggle again and this time it was like the sound of spring raindrops on delicate leaves.

"I'm a modern woman for an ancient being. I assure you there is wifi, I have to keep up with my blog," she said and winked.

"She's not lying Dean, I've had reception the whole time we've been here," Sam said.

"Now who looks the fool?" Aiyanna asked.

"I'll be the clown, I usually am anyway," Dean said and checked his phone, and sure enough he had reception where it hadn't been before.

The rain ended as predicted and the sky filled with stars. The Thunder Birds returned to Aiyanna's side and stood guard as shrieking began in the street. Windows were blown out of buildings, roof tiles and railings smashed into the church but the poltergeist could not enter the sacred space.

"How are we supposed to rest with all that noise?" Dean asked.

"That's what you're worried about?" Sam asked as he looked up from his laptop. "The generator and your car are still outside."

"Aiyanna warded my Baby, so did Davina, and apparently the dolls will protect her, and the ghost isn't going to mess with the giants," Dean said as he motioned to the two sentinel spirits at the door.

"They have names," Aiyanna spoke softly. "I know you didn't get off on the right foot but they admire you," she said and looked up from her own computer.

"Oh really?" Dean asked.

"You bore the mark of Cain," She answered with a nod. "And carried around the darkness herself. You are practically a god to them."

"Well, someone had to do it," Dean said proudly and puffed up his chest. "Hows it going guys? Sorry about before," he added as he moved toward them and they bowed. "Don't tell me they are mutes too, I mean I heard them talk before," he said and sighed.

"They speak when it suits them, and when they are acquainted with people," Aiyanna said. "The tall one is Giizis and the other is Agaashiinyi. They are Ojibwa spirits. They travel with me everywhere I go. You can call them Sun and Small."

"Hey," Dean said awkwardly.

"Hey," Sun said and raised his hand in a wave.

"Awe you made a friend," Sam said and laughed.

"Do you drink too?" Dean asked and offered the bottle to the two of them.

"No, we do not. But we play cards," Small answered.

"Please say poker," Dean practically begged.

"Only if you are prepared to make wagers," Sun answered.

"Done, anything to break up this silence," Dean said and rushed for a table in the corner and the two giants followed.

"They will take all of your money if you keep drinking," Aiyanna warned.

"It's all good, I hustled it off a pair of drunks halfway across Colorado. Easy come, easy go," Dean said and shrugged.

"Eva sent us along with food so that happens to be play money for now," Sam continued.

"I suppose you'll go looking for Rei when you are finished with me," Aiyanna said as an old wagon wheel smashed into the building next door.

"You wouldn't happen to know where to find her?" Sam asked with a nod.

"She's at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Seattle," Aiyanna answered. "She is a shrine maiden there."

"And will she be expecting us as well?" Sam asked.

"I would assume so, she's very turned into the metaphysical world," Aiyanna answered. "And reads the fires for information. It sends to her visions and sensations that will herald your coming."

"Good to know," Dean said from across the room. "Once we've found her, we'll deal with the one that will give us the most grief; Rowena. She's not exactly on our good side, or us on hers."

"Rowena is blinded by power and wanted to be free of the responsibilities that we ancient ones share. When she is made aware of her part in this, all will be made clear and the connection you've always shared, and she will participate fully. You just have to convince her to remember."

"Or we could just trick her back to the shack and the four of you could jog her memories," Dean said.

"Or that," Aiyanna laughed and it sounded like the wind, and then the shrieking outside the windows began again.

"Would you calm down out there? Just because you weren't invited to this party doesn't mean you have to be a poor sport about it and ruins it for everyone," Dean yelled at the shrinking.

"You're not going to stop it like that," Sun commented.

"It was worth a shot," Dean said and took another drink right from the bottle of JD. "I managed to talk The Darkness and The Light out of not killing each other and to resolve their family feud with good old fashioned communication."

"No you didn't," Small said skeptically.

"Yes, he did," Aiyanna spoke from her place as she moved around the room with her sage and it's cleansing smoke.

"Really?" Sun gasped.

"Yes, but communication will not end the shrieking. It will end when we make it," Aiyanna said and settled in next to Regina once more. "Until then, you may as well eat, drink, and be merry. Tell of your great adventures and make friends with one another, for tomorrow we are at war with this evil that has held this place for far too long."


	16. A Coat He Borrowed

**_A/N: I have decided that my beta is taking too long, if she even remembers she has this story to edit. So I am going to start posting these anyway and if she does get back to me, then I'll just switch them out. Hope you like it._**

Chapter 16: A Coat He Borrowed

Rest was not a thing that came to the gathering of individuals that evening in Sulphur. As the wailing of trapped souls and tortured cries rose from the ghost, and when the Poltergeist became frustrated with it's eviction notice from the church, the racket of it all jolted any who tried to sleep out of their slumber and into wakefulness, the rest of them simply waited and jumped any time something would happen. The angry, deranged, spirit had been loose and free for far too long in the small ghost town, captured and tortured for so long, that to be told where it was no longer welcome made it even angrier than anyone had anticipated, but by the wee hours of the morning a calm set in and sleep came deep and heavy.

Dean drank until he lost all of his money and passed out only to be woken at dawn by the silent twinkling of Aiyanna's beads and the sheer feeling of her presence near him.

"You, Dean Winchester, are the eldest, are you not, and so I come to you for your brother's sake," she whispered as his eyes opened to see her standing over him.

"Is Sam okay?" Dean gasped as he sat bolt upright and looked frantically around the space to where he knew, or thought he knew, where he'd left his baby brother.

"Your brother is fine right now, and will remain so if we can prevent any dangers against him. The poltergeist prefers younger sons. He will attack your brother to weaken you as your energies dictate to it who and what your are. He was once himself a younger son who's brother tried to protect him from the torment that he endured here. The brother, you see, was the first to be murdered, and that is where the deep rooted anger grew and festered. But he moved on and the younger son was trapped here looking for his brother. He could not protect his younger brother and the younger brother punishes himself knowing the weakness of a sibling to a sibling and a brother to a brother. He knows he is why his brother was murdered and crossed over in a valiant way," Aiyanna explained. "And you have always been the protector, like his brother was for him, a warrior no less than your brother but a protectors heart is within you. To defeat the just, the protector, it knows to go after your brother. Younger sons are given the inquisitive heart, knowing they are always protected by their elders. He knows this all too well and you know this to be true. You raised your brother and you've seen the trouble he's found. It's not entirely his fault. It is how he was made."

"So what do I need to do for him so that I can protect him?"

"Fetch me a coat you borrowed, or acquired, from your father who's spirit is the warrior guide for the both of you, and I will bless it so that he will be disguised from the spirits as the younger son and seen only to carry the warriors heart," She whispered. "Go now before he wakes."

Dean did as he was told and brought back the coat.

"Why does this have to be so secret?" Dean asked as he returned and handed her the heavy leather coat that belonged to their father and that rarely was removed from the Impala. It was an item, like the car herself, that was always there for both of the boys and used by each of them when it was needed.

"Because if he knows about the spell the poltergeist will read it on him and the coat will lose its power," Aiyanna answered. "You know to protect and so the poltergeist will try and beat it out of you but the coat will protect your bother and cloak him in his father's blessing."

"Sam's not going to want to wear that coat in this heat," Dean said with a shake of his head. "How am I supposed to get him to wear it without telling him?"

"That is for you to find out. How have you protected him all these years?" She asked and hugged the coat close to her, breathing in the smells and the memories. "Just as your father protected you, and still does though he is far away right now, seeking, searching, his life long quest. It is your quest as well but it has changed over the years. You are your brother's keeper but there is much more than that," she said and left him to his brooding.

Her spell work was a series of chants and saging, and then she wove a feather into the lining and handed it back to Dean.

"It is finished and just in time," she whispered as Sam began to stir awake. "It's time to get to work," she said and moved to the door and disappeared.

"What's going on?" Sam asked groggily.

"Witches, Sam, what have I always said about witches?" Dean answered and began to follow her. "I have no clue what's going on."

The only one to remain in the old church was the reaper. She had not moved since she arrived and was left to her own devices. She sat at the fire side, her eyes closed, her mouth a thin line as if to hum but no noise issued forth from her lips, and she swayed as if to some music that no one else could hear. It was strange behaviour for a reaper, or rather the reapers that Sam and Dean had ever encountered.

Out in the street Aiyanna and the Thunder Birds began to pull the debris away from the buildings and piled it in the middle of the Main Street. The shrieking had stopped but a violent wind blew through the town and even at the early hour the sweltering heat began to set in.

"Need a hand?" Dean asked as he and his brother joined them.

"Take a drive away from here," Small said as he tossed a whole railing onto the pile. "We need water."

"And lighter fluid," Sun added.

"I've got that in abundance in the trunk but can't you just start fires?" Dean asked.

"Not when the wood is wet," Small answered.

"Sammy, take the car and go get water and supplies. You know how I get on shopping sprees," Dean almost ordered.

"You'd come back with nothing but booze and pie," Sam commented and accepted the keys. "Though the alcohol would work as lighter fluid."

"Exactly, take dad's coat with you," Dean said and handed the garment to his brother. "But don't waste the liquor, we're going to need it after this, so get both."

"Did you sleep with it last night?" Sam asked teasingly as he held the coat in his arms.

"I got cold," Dean lied and moved away to help with the pile in the middle of the street.

"Sure you did," Sam spoke under his breath as he turned away as well and moved toward the car that had not been touched in all the tumultuousness of the previous evening.

Moments later the tires spat up the thin layer of caked mud and dug into the still dry dusty ground beneath. A cloud billowed up as the engine roared to life and Dean turned to watch his brother and his baby disappeared into the distance.

"It is better this way," Aiyanna said. "The longer he is away, the better it is for the spell."

"Sure, whatever," Dean said and helped with another piece of decking. "I'm trusting you with him. Don't…just don't screw it up."


	17. A Voice That Came From You And Me

**_A/N: Happy Friday! Enjoy the update!_**

Chapter 17: A Voice That Came From You And Me

Sam returned nearer to evening than he'd anticipated and found the fire licking the sky in the midst of the desert. As he drew nearer he saw that the Thunder Birds, Aiyanna and Dean stood at compass points around the fire, and together they tossed herbs from baskets into it. The smoke crept around their feet as the flames kissed at the heavens but did not move. The wind was gone and the smoke moved of it's own accord up into buildings and down along the ground. As he drew nearer to the people involved Sam noticed that the air around the fire had become icy cold and fetching the coat from the car once more he went to his brother's side.

"I'm good Sammy, you wear it if you're cold," Dean said with a shake of his head.

"This cold is from the spirits is it not?" Sam asked as he threw the coat on without much thought and to free up his hands. "I'll get you the shot guns," he offered but Aiyanna stopped him.

"Not yet, Samuel," She said. "They are gathering but they cannot hurt us, and soon they will know that we are here to help them. The plants that we add to this sacred fire are the medicines of their people. They will know us through their healing," she added and as she spoke Sam could see the faces of many people appear throughout the town but they were sheer, faint, and clearly that of the spirits. "But we must wait and feed the fire for as long as the smoke lingers."

"Lingers, it's creeping unlike any smoke I've ever seen," Sam said and watched as Small and Sun tossed a large set of stairs, railings and all, onto the fire.

"Indeed, it's working to pull the powers from this land and push the evil away. It is nearly finished," Aiyanna said as Regina appeared in the doorway of the church with a flock of ghostly children pressing in around her.

"There is a stirring," Regina said as she stepped out into the street and her voice was soft and sweet like the wind. "You must follow the smoke to the site. He has been pushed back to the mine but he is fighting it all. The moment I remove these souls from here, the ones you've been able to free, he will be greatly weakened but he will get very violent. He knows what is coming, he hasn't spoken to me in many years but now he can hear my voice and he is angry that I am returned."

"Winchesters, you must be ready for your battle," Aiyanna said and moved to Dean's side. "Take the car and your brother and you will follow the smoke to the place. The Thunder Birds will go with you and I will remain here with Regina. You must work quickly."

With a nod Dean obeyed and lead his brother back to the Impala. The two giants followed but would not get in. Once the engine roared to life the two men appeared as birds once more and flew off, following the smoke. Dust flew as Dean pushed his Baby into pursuit, and before long they came to a place as the birds began to circle, the wind picked up and began to howl, shrieking rose over it all, and at last, the sun set behind the western mountains. The smoke had crept along the ground all the way out to this place and as the birds returned to their human form and the brothers came forward they noticed the smoke did not touch one space but circled in around it.

"Looks like the spot," Dean yelled over the howling.

"The second you sink a shovel into that earth this is going to get bad," Small said.

"We can pull the electro magnetic energy out of the air, out of the spirit, but we can't stop him," Sun added as a full body apparition appeared before them.

"Get to work Sammy," Dean yelled and fired two consecutive salt rounds into the full body apparition and it staggered back in shock.

"That worked poorly," Small stated as he lunged at the apparition, changing forms as he went, and landing talons first into the solid form.

The poltergeist screamed in something akin to pain as the Thunder Bird spirits carried it up into the suddenly stormy sky. Dean rushed to his brothers side, grabbed the second shovel, and began to dig as frantically as he could. Progress was slow, but quicker than they had ever worked before. The shrieking never stopped but dulled in comparison to the rumbling of the heavens and the piercing calls of the spirit birds.

The respite didn't last long as all of a sudden the poltergeist appeared again and charged the brothers.

"Hell no!" Dean yelled and swung the shovel at the spirit but was thrown several feet from the grave site.

Abandoning the work, Sam fired two rounds into the spirit. Again it faltered and spun on Sam now and Dean found his feat again. Another quick reload and Sam fired again. This time the spirit rushed at Sam laughing maniacally. It came in contact with Sam's person and screeched in horror and pain as it fell back unable to cause injury to the man before him.

"What the hell?" Sam gasped in shock but was snapped out of it as Dean fired again.

"Sammy get back to work," Dean yelled as the poltergeist rounded on Dean once more and the Thunder Birds returned to the scene of the fray.

Once again a scrimmage occurred between the poltergeist and the spirit birds, once more giving Sam and Dean the opportunity to dig but all at once, just as before, the entity reappeared and chose to attack Dean this time. Two more rounds, the laugher of insanity and the launching of a heavy iron projectile caused the poltergeist to recoil and stumble, it staggered back and changed forms. This time it appeared as a sickly swirling mist, separated from the smoke and dust turned up by the Thunder Bird's brewing anger, and snarling, it rushed at Dean. Firing again, and unable to stop it, the spirit mist hit him with the force of a truck and disappeared into Dean's body.

"Dean!" Sam cried out in fear as the spirit took hold and green, black, ooze ran out of Dean's tear ducts and ears.

"We'll handle it," Small stated to stop Sam. "Burn the bones!"

"Not while its in Dean," Sam protested as Sun rushed to his side and began digging as well.

"Be ready to burn them," Small ordered and once more rushed at the spirit that was now possessing Dean.

"How is it doing that? We are both warded with anti-possession charmed. Why couldn't it take me when it tried?" Sam asked frantically as Dean was dragged into the sky kicking and screaming.

"It's the coat," Aiyanna stated as she appeared out of thin air. "You are warded against demons but not spirits as powerful as this, but I have come to know this entity and I knew that it would target you so I blessed the coat to protect you," She explained as she rubbed her hands together, held them out and began chanting in a language that Sam did not recognize.

All at once the bones of the man rose out of the earth and the smoke from the holy fire gathered around them. "Bring him back," Aiyanna yelled at the lightning filled sky and Sun rushed up into the clouds to find his brother.

The poltergeist, in Dean's body, was dropped at Aiyanna's feet still cursing and screaming in Dean's voice but in Enochian this time.

"He's calling out to angels," Sam gasped.

"Because you are warded against them, and they want your both," Aiyanna said calmly. "Burn the bones, Samuel, pay no attention to the spirit's calls," she ordered.

"Not until you get that thing out of my brother," Dean protested.

"Then throw the coat on him," She yelled.

Sam did as he was told and the moment the coat touched Dean, the thing within him shrieked and ejected itself. Dousing the bones in lighter fluid and salt, Sam rushed to burn them before the entity could react but he fumbled with the lighter as Dean crumpled to the ground.

"He will be fine," Regina's voice boomed louder than ever before as she too appeared and a crack of thunder, so close that it rattled the humans, and a bolt of lightning that threw them all back struck the bones and they burst into flames.


	18. The King Was Looking Down

**_A/N: Almost didn't make it this week but here we are. Happy Holidays!_**

Chapter 18: The King Was Looking Down

The poltergeist that had reigned over the town for far too long looked on in shock for a brief moment as his bones began to burn, then there came a wailing cry filled with pain and anger, and finally, and all at once, a shockwave issued out of the spirit and it was gone.

"You know what to do," Aiyanna said seriously as she addressed her spirit companions and once more the birds flew into the sky and the stormy weather moved in again. "We are not finished here," she said to the boys, "but it is time to leave Regina to her work. Go back to the church," she finished and all at once the rain began to fall all over again.

Aiyanna disappeared once more from right before their eyes but Regina stood with her face turned upward as if to invite the rain to wash over her.

"You are unlike any Reaper I've ever met," Dean said as he stood before her.

"That is because you are too caught up, or have been for far too long in only one of God's big plans. He created cultures, races, colours of all things, and kings of all kinds, and they all have a story, and a people, and a doom that may or may not befall them. You faced one apocalypse to one kind but we all have our own differences," She said softly as she looked to him. "Indeed you have a part to play in them as they occur in your lifetime but they will take different forms, and will come when the great evils decide it is time. I am a reaper, I answer to one death who answers to one Light and one Darkness, but the way in which my work is done is different from those who believe in different ways. They watch us now and are well please."

"So like more than one Lucifer?" Dean asked and there was anxiety in his voice.

"One Lucifer, one God, one sister to the light. One Zues, One Manitoo, one for one and another for the next. They are all their own entities but connected by humanity," She answered. "I serve one Death but he bares a different name from me, and so I am not the reaper of your people but that of my own, and my appearance, my powers, my function and form is different but the same," she spoke when all at once the apparition of the man who had been the poltergeist appeared through the rain. "Hello Sleeping Bear," she held out her hand to it and calmed Sam and Dean with a bow. "It has been a long time since we have seen each other. Are you ready now, at last?" She asked of the spirit soul before her.

"I am tired Regina," the spirit spoke. "But my brother is lost to me. I cannot hear him or see him, and it is my purpose."

"You've been trapped here too long but he has gone on ahead of you. It's time to at last return to the realm of our ancestors and there your brother, your protector, is waiting. Come walk with me and see the light, and you will hear his voice calling out to you."

"But I am unworthy, I am evil. I have atonements to make," It protested.

"Atonement is happening as we speak and will continue when you pass on to your people once and for all. Come, it is time."

"Yes, alright," the spirit said and at last he took her out stretched and offered hand.

Another great blast of energy and flash of bright white light engulfed Regina and blinded the brothers as they looked on. When it cleared Regina and the spirit were gone and all that was left was the night and the rain that poured down heavy upon them.

"I think it's time to go," Sam said. "You're soaked through but you've still got ectoplasm running down your face. You look like shit."

"Shut up," Dean huffed and bolted for the Impala.

"Dean, are you all right?" Sam asked as he caught up and fell into the car sopping wet. "What just happened?"

"It wasn't a fun ride, Sammy but I'll live, and you know how I feel about getting involved with other people's family drama. I have enough of my own to deal with with you hanging around," Dean said sarcastically as the engine roared to life and the headlights case beams across the mess they'd been a part of making. "We'll deal with the mess and the new ground shattering revelations tomorrow. Please tell me you bought some booze on your supply run. I desperately need a drink."

"I think we all do," Sam said with a nod.

"Witches," Dean grumbled and pressed his foot hard to the floor to send the Impala flying.


	19. We Sang Dirges In The Dark

**_A/N: Happy Holidays! Hope you've had a relaxing, wonderful, time with friends and family. I am enjoying a few days of nothing, though I have had plans and people have backed out of them, I am not all together disappointed that I can just stay and home and do some writing!_**

Chapter 19: We Sang Dirges In The Dark

Sam and Dean arrived back on the town's Main Street in the pouring rain and found lights on in all the buildings along the street. An unnatural light, but not an evil light, that was separated from the darkness. There was a difference in this darkness now. It felt calming and peaceful in comparison to what it had been before and the light was bright, inviting, soothing the pains of so many who had suffered for so long. It pulled from both great energies, the light and the darkness, and brought harmony to everything.

"What's going on here?" Dean asked as they walked into the church and heard music, sweet and light, on the air.

"The last cleansing," Aiyanna said as the person she was sitting with turned and smiled on the boys.

"Well done," Chuck said and smiled. "Come, let's celebrate with a song."

"What the hell Chuck?" Dean asked angrily. "We called you, and you putz about, but you show up for this witch and a poltergeist? No offence Aiyanna," He back peddled slightly.

"None taken," Aiyanna said and smiled like the morning sun.

"For the most part you have handled it, and you've done a very good job of it," Chuck said with a laugh as he stood. "All will be well in Sulphur and in Slaughter. Two jobs very well handled. I am proud of you both."

"So what is this? Forty days of rain and flooding to start a new?" Sam asked to support his brother's anger. "Or are we your choir to sing your dirges in the dark."

"Leave the darkness to Amara, she's about this place somewhere," Chuck said and chuckled.

"She's here too?" Dean asked in shock.

"Well I did build all of creation off of her and I, now she is taking part in the things meant to be cloaked in darkness. It's not all bad you know, but there are sweet little secrets and blessings to be found in the mournful songs of the darkness. My sister has a beautiful voice, don't you think? You do hear her don't you?"

"What are you playing at?" Dean asked angrily. "What is your plan for ruin this time?"

"Me, not a thing!" Chuck said with a wink and laughed. "That was an over reaction on my part, the floods that is. This is a cleansing. It does take some good rain but the souls need to see my light to help them cross after so much darkness, and they need to feel a new darkness to see the light," he added as Amara entered the church in flowing gowns of graceful gossamer silk.

"Hello Dean," she said sweetly and her face was gentle and serene. "Sam, good to see you as well."

"Hey," the boys said together.

"Brother, I have been with your creations, the Thunder Birds, and I think you have done well with them," she said as she turned to Chuck once more.

"Thank you, I though of you when I made them. Lighting and thunder in the darkest storm bring new life and light to the world," Chuck said as he smiled toward the boys. "We're doing a lot of bonding and exploring all of creation. It's like a family vacation of sorts."

"But cloaked in business, our family business," Amara commented.

"Darkness and Light and all that comes with it: the family business… that doesn't sound quite right," Chuck said with a shake of his head. "Doesn't ring like your motto."

"It doesn't need to," Amara said and sighed.

"It is my art form, sister, you need to let me figure that part out," Chuck protested. "But there is time for that. We're nearly done here."

"Yes, things are getting awfully bright brother."

"So that's the light?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Yes, and now my work is done. The verdict was read, I must be getting back to our whirlwind tour of all creation."

"I'm learning a lot," Amara smiled, "though I would love to stay and be with you again."

"Wait, that's it? You just come when they call you?" Dean asked angrily.

"It's not called an act of god for nothing Dean. My ears are always on," Chuck retorted.

"But, you know, the apocalypse was no big deal?" Dean asked.

"My angels handled it, and you. That's why you were put into it. But these people don't believe in that stuff like you do and that's the beauty of it all. So you see, in situations like this one, when my children have done all that they can for me, I lend them my light."

"And we are grateful," Regina said as she appeared in the doorway.

"Happy to hear your voice again," Chuck said as he walked past the brothers to the Reaper and held her hand. "This is my sister Amara," he made the introduction.

"My queen," the Reaper bowed to the darkness.

"Pleasure," Amara said, took the reapers hand and a burst of energy passed between them. Regina was refreshed and bond to her realm and Amara was well pleased.

"Thank you for hearing me," Regina said with a bow. "This place is now free. Aiyanna's ancestors will be with us by morning."

"They move already," Chuck said and turned back to the room. "Good to see you all but we really must be off. Much to see and do. I'll see you around," he finished and before anyone could respond Chuck and Amara were gone.

"I hate being toyed with," Dean said angrily and punched the air. "Get your stuff Sam, we're leaving."

"Dean calm down," Sam protested.

"We're done, our job is finished here. We need to find the next witch," Dean huffed.

"Wait till morning," Aiyanna said. "The rain will have stopped and you'll sleep better now that the battle is won. You'll be clearer by morning."

"I'm done being played," Dean yelled.

"You're not a toy, Dean Winchester!" Aiyanna raised her voice for the first time and it sounded like thunder. Dean jumped at the sound of it. "You and your brother are a weapon far more powerful than any legion of angels or spirit guides or protection provided by prayers because you are the ones tied to this plane. You are the human guardians, the keepers of mankind, the earths true warriors," She said more calmly. "That is why the dolls were made. That is the reason you act as judge and jury over the supernatural. That is why we, all of us who dwell here, need you boys to live," she finished and slammed the doors behind them without crossing the room. "I don't pretend to know what Chuck's motive was in giving you those dolls but you cannot destroy them. Now settle in and get some rest, and you will rest. You can leave in the morning," she said and doused the lights, bathing the old church in darkness and ending the protest once and for all.


	20. Helter Skelter In A Summers Swelter

**_A/N: I've decided to double up on this story this week! Enjoy!_**

Chapter 20: Helter Skelter In A Summers Swelter

At the crack of dawn, having slept very well, in shock at how easily it came but how troubled his mind remained when became conscious, Dean awoke and began packing the car while the others slept. In his anger, the previous night, he had set his resolve to leave and now, as dawn broke, he was less determined but a man of his word. He left Sam to sleep and took solace in knowing that they would soon be on the road once more.

His mind had not cleared after the second encounter on this journey with God himself, in fact, he was possibly even angrier then he was the night before as the interlude of sleep had stopped his thoughts but they were with him again and brooding, when Aiyanna stepped out of the church and joined him once more.

"You are prepared to flee," she said to make her presence known as Dean was hunched over the trunk resetting all of his arsenal. "In all this heat? If you wait until evening I can send you on your way with the coolness of the changing winds."

"I live most of my life in the heat of the moment. This sweltering heat is nothing to me," Dean commented without looking at her.

"You're angry with me."

"Not with you but our job here is done," Dean said as he looked up at her. "We've got two more of you to collect before this case is done, so yeah, I wanna get outta here as soon as possible, but I'm not mad at you."

"You carry much anger, Dean Winchester. I would think, after all that you've been through, that you would have learned to let go of the anger in your soul more quickly than you do."

"You're not going to tell me that you except it of me because that is how I was made?" Dean asked and there was something of an accusation in his tone. "I'm sorry, it just seems like everyone thinks they know me better than I know myself, and maybe they do because they are in on it all. I hate that idea."

"I know what made you, I know the gifts that have been bestowed upon you, and I know just how important you are to everything. This is why you are never left long without your angel guides or kept in the realm of the dead. You belong among the living, for now, but there will come a time when you will find rest, true and eternal, unless you fight even that."

"I probably would," Dean said and leaned on the car.

"I don't doubt that," Aiyanna giggled. "Your determination is as steady as the wind."

"And see that's what get's me mad. Am I predictable, or does everyone just know that this is me?" Dean asked.

"You are predictable," She said and sighed, "but I don't pretend to know the true workings of your heart. Your predictability has made you like stone. The parts of you that you can protect are guarded by walls as thick as granite and as deep as any depths. Those feelings and ideas, morals and values, fears and terrors, are all yours and it is up to your to let people into them. I don't believe that even your brother has broken down all of your walls. I know that you are angry because I can feel it in your energy, but I can't pretend to know why, if I didn't already know the circumstances that we are sharing. I don't agree with everything that Chuck has done to you, in fact, I don't think it is fair that this should all fall on your shoulders, but this plane needs you and your brother, and so it was a necessary evil to create what he wished in you and your brother. I am sorry for the role I played in that, but I am not sorry to have you as protector."

"I understand," Dean said.

"But do you really, Dean?" She asked.

"I think so," he answered. "I know that the dolls are necessary. I just don't want them, but who am I supposed to give them to?"

"We will bury them in the deepest of places, if that is what you wish," She offered.

"But they will be found," He protested.

"Perhaps, or maybe there a bigger plan here," she said.

"You think this is a test?"

"I do," she answered honestly.

"That makes me even more angry."

"It should, but it is another one of those necessary evils. You are on a journey of knowledge with these dolls and I am sure you have come to know a great many things already that you didn't know to begin with. Knowledge is your best weapon and with this, I believe, you will be better prepared to deal with everything that is to come in your future."

"But Sam is the nerd, I'm just the brawn."

"That's not true, you sell yourself short," She said and smiled.

"I know," he sighed.

"And so you are prepared to flee?"

"Yes, I need to get back on the road."

"Where you belong, no doubt," she said and looked to the sky, as blue and clear as it had become, and the giants, the Thunder Birds, exited the church and turned their faces to the sun.

"I am a child of the open road," Dean said and looked to the sky as well.

"Well with a car like that who would blame you?"

"Thank you," Dean half bowed as they watched the Thunder Birds transform and fly off into the vast blue sky together. "They come and go as they please?" He asked.

"I don't hold them here, they follow me because I too have a bond with the land and their people, as I am bound to all people who call themselves indigenous, but I am not a single clan or tribe of my own."

"So all over the world?" Dean asked.

"My roots run deep and are ancient," she answered with a nod.

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to have a hand on walls of ancient art in all regions," she answered.

"Well you look damn good for your age," Dean commented.

"Thank you," She smiled and giggled. "Peace and blessing upon you, Dean Winchester."

"And you," he said and looked back at the trunk. "Sam and I will be outta your hair as soon as I can get him mobile."

"I do not wish to chase you away, as you know, but I know that you must go."

"I hope we haven't been too bothersome."

"Not at all."

"Then yes, we have to travel on to our next destination."

"Rei is expecting you," Aiyanna said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I spoke to her last night through the sacred fire. You see Dean Winchester, even though we have different systems of belief, we are all connected to one another, through Chuck, through fire, through you and your brother, all things are connected," she explained.

"Good to know," Dean huffed.

"You are still angry."

"I feel like a fool, and a martyr, or something between kings among men and absolute dirt under other people's feet. It's frustrating knowing all these things and not having any say in the matter. Hunting was just a job before Chuck came along and now it's life, literally, and I have no say in the outcome of my own destiny."

"None of us do, but we the enlightened, know this while the rest of the world does not. That is the true burden of it all and I'm sure if you asked, Chuck would take the knowledge from you if that is what you really want."

"If that were the case why would he give us the dolls in the first place? No, I think he wants us to know all this but he doesn't want to be tell us why. Do you know why?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I don't even know why I know what I know. But I don't let that hinder or confuse me. I know what I have set out to do for myself and my people and that is what I choose to have, to bring meaning to my journey. Find what matters to you Dean, and go after that. The job you've always done, saving people, hunting things…"

"The family business," Dean spoke.

"Exactly, and that's why you will not feel like the fool but rather the master that you are," She said and smiled.

"Okay, thanks," he said and closed the trunk.

"I will see you again in Kansas," She said and turned back to the small church. "I still have work to do here and once I am finished I will travel to Slaughter to find Davina and Eva, and together the three of us will go to the shack and prepare for you to bring Rowena and the dolls. Rei will come of her own accord once you have convinced her."

"How am I supposed to convince Rowena to remember?" Dean asked.

"Oh right, here," Aiyanna giggled and handed him a satchel made of elk hide and covered in beads. "First talk to her about what you know and then when she is skeptical and full of questions hand her this. When she pours the herbs into her hands she'll be confused because she wont recognize it, but when you blow the dust into her face she will awaken."

"But what if she doesn't do that?"

"Find a way for her to hold the herbs. If she doesn't the memories will not be her own," Aiyanna warned.

"All right, I'll do my best," Dean sighed.

"You always do," Aiyanna said with a smile. "But first find Rei. I understand she also has a task for you."

"Great!" Dean responded sarcastically.

"You'll find her in Seattle at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine. You'll know her when you see her." Aiyanna said as the doors to the church opened once more and Sam stepped out and stretched.

"How will we know how to find the shack?" Dean asked before Aiyanna left him.

"Small and Sun will find you when you return to Kansas and then they will lead you back to where it all began," She answered and stepped toward Sam. "Good morning Samuel Winchester, and good-bye."

"Wait, what?" Sam asked groggily.

"Get a move on Sammy, we've got a long drive ahead of us," Dean called out to his brother from the car and fell into it.

"Can we at least get some coffee?" Sam called back to his brother.

"Absolutely, now come!" Dean said and Sam turned swiftly back into the church to fetch his things.


	21. A Forward Pass

Chapter 21: A Forward Pass

On the road once more Sam and Dean sat in silence until they were away from Sulphur and nearer to the main interstate to head west.

"So what happened out there when the Thunder Birds had you? Do you remember any of it?" Sam asked to finally break the silence and to stop himself from falling asleep again.

"It wasn't fun, if that's what you're asking," Dean answered in a gruff, displeased, kind of way.

"But how did it happen? You're warded with anti-possession magic."

"I guess it's not the right mojo for that type of being," Dean said with a shrug. "We can't be warded against everything…"

"How are you being so dismissive?" Sam asked to carry on in his prodding. "What did Aiyanna say to you?"

"Sam stop, just stop, with the interrogation. It happened, it's over, we're moving on, literally, and we have to get ourselves in to a mindset of dealing with whatever this next witch has planned for us," Dean's tone was enough to tell his brother to drop the subject all together. "Besides, we haven't even had breakfast yet and I'm starving. I could use a good strong coffee." He said to change the subject.

"Yeah, I feel that, and a shower," Sam said to accept the change of subject; at least his brother was talking.

"Your hygiene can wait until we get to Seattle," Dean huffed.

"But you shouldn't go into public looking the way you look," Sam said to tease and to bring his brothers attention back to the situation they had just encountered the night before. "You still have ecto residue in your hair."

"So what? It's just going to be breakfast in some generic dive diner that we will likely never visit again. Who is going to care?" Dean protested.

"If they let you in at all in your state," Sam laughed. "You look like shit."

"We'll get it to go then, you can go in and I'll wait in the car."

"You really just want to get the hell outta dodge, don't you?"

"We have a job to do," Dean said aggressively once more. "And we have at least a day of driving to get to the job site. I just wanna get there and get into it so that we can get this over with."

"So this has to do with the witches and the dolls?" Sam asked suspiciously. "You're wearing the ecto like a badge of honour or are you just that over this whole thing. I mean, it's not like you. You jump at the chance to see not chicks in diner dresses, it's a thing. You have a thing for them. I don't understand the thing, I don't pretend to want to know the thing about the thing, but you have a thing. And your appearance in situation such as that is everything. But as it stand you look like you just rolled outta bed into a wad of green black crewing gum, just here, stuck…I'll get it…" Sam teased as he leaned over and pulled at the debris in his bother's hair.

"Cut it out Sammy!" Dean protested and swat at his brother's hand.

"With what?" Sam joked. "Hand me your utility knife and I will cut it out for you."

"What, no! Leave the ecto and me alone. I'm driving," Dean growled and swat at his bother again.

"Come on Dean. I could used a rest, find the nearest town and let's take a day. You can clean up and chase come tail and I wont even protest. I'll just do some background research on Rei, our fourth witch and we'll be able to sleep in real beds."

"I'm really not in the mood," Dean huffed. "I'd rather stay on the open road to calm me down and ground me."

"A shower and a good meal will do the same thing because you are filthy and tired," Sam countered. "And I know better than most people what you get like when you haven't slept well."

"All right, fine. Let's just get away from this part of the country, put Sulphur in our past and give the drive a couple more hours," Dean said to get his brother off his case.

"Fine, but find a Gas and Go so I can at least get coffee," Sam said.

"There's one," Dean said as the station appeared on the horizon.

"Perfect."


	22. On The Side Lines

_**A/N: I've had a super productive weeks! So I am able to update this and all my other chaptered story. If you haven't checked anything else out, maybe today is a good day for that! Thanks for reading!**_

Chapter 22: On The Sidelines

The coffee was hot but weak and the microwaved breakfast burrito was nothing special, and before long the brother had gassed up and were on the road once more. Five hours or so into their drive northwest Dean pulled over in the town of Burns Oregon. They stopped once more at a gas station and convenience store, then found the first motel in the yellow pages and took a room for the night.

Dean was the first in the shower, as his brother had suggested, but though he was clean and feeling human again it did nothing for his peace of mind.

"I still don't see the point in staying here. It's only just after noon and Seattle isn't more than six hours away. We could be there by nightfall." Dean said as he towel dried his hair and Sam stepped passed him into the steamy washroom.

"I just need a day, Dean, a couple of hours to decompress and a bed with a mattress instead of a floor," Sam said changing his tactics. "Can I just get a few hours of peace and maybe a sit down meal and sleep in a bed that is clean and not dusty?" He asked and shut the washroom door be hind him.

"You've been sidelined," Dean said to himself as he looked at his reflection in the mirror mounted on the wall next to the TV. "May as well make the most of it," he added and winked at himself.

Dean wasted the twenty minutes, or so, he had to wait for his brother to reappear thumbing through the phone book and flipping channels, and then finally Sam reemerged.

"So what's the plan Sammy?" He asked.

"There is an Internet cafe down the street that I plan to take advantage of to access the database in the bunker," Sam answered. "Maybe get the lay of the land here. I expect you've already scoped out the nearest dive bar but can we maybe meet up to have dinner? I don't expect you to hang around in the motel all day."

"Yeah sure, sounds good to me," Dean said as he tossed on a flannel shirt. "I'm gonna explore, I'll hit the bar later. Meet you back here for dinner?" He asked and moved to the door.

"Sure, or I'll call you," Sam said dismissively.

"If I don't answer, you'll know why," He winked and fled out of the room.

"That's more like it," Sam laughed to himself out of ear shot of his brother and got down to his own business.

Dean did a full loop of the main town finding the city hall, the library, a collection of schools and restaurants and then he moved on to a more recreational area for tourists and the view from the mountainous part of the region.

"You've been busy," A voice said at his side as he stopped and looked out on the view.

"Yeah," Dean sighed as he leaned on the railing.

"And so, because you've been busy, you feel entitled to summoning whom ever you choose because they couldn't possibly be busy themselves?"

"Influx of cross roads deals?" Dean asked sceptically as he turned to look at Crowley.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response; bad for business.," Crowley huffed.

"If you're so busy, why'd you come?" Dean asked.

"That is a very good question. Why did you summon instead of just calling?"

"I had time for the finer things in life," Dean answered saucily.

"Sam's got you sidelined," Crowley laughed.

"He needs a break. We've been at this for days now. I get it but I'm fine."

"Of course you are," Crowley spoke sarcastically. "That's why you summoned the king of hell for a little chat. A chat you could have had over the god damn phone!"

"Oh no, this is business," Dean said dismissively.

"Is it now, then what can I do for you Dean Winchester? Don't get my hopes up. This had better be good."

"Do you know where your mother is hiding out?" Dean asked.

"Again, a question for modern technology, and oh so boring," Crowley said as he waved his smart phone and turned to leave.

"Just answer the question."

"Boca Ratan wooing some rich Realestate tycoon or lawyer. Call her, I'll text you her number if you really need to get in touch with her," he answered over his shoulder.

"Wait, what is beyond hell?" Dean asked and all at once Crowley stopped, turned, and seeing that Dean was serious he came back.

"What have you boys been up to and why do you need my mother?" Crowley asked to avoid answering Dean question. He was suspicious now.

"Demons, hell hounds, and ancient Native American reapers, and that's just for starters," Dean answered.

"So the usual."

"No, the reaper wasn't like any we've ever met before. The poltergeist spirit didn't leave after we burn the bones and there were Thunder Birds," Dean explained but his patience was wearing thin. "So what is beyond hell?"

"Heaven, hell, purgatory, those are the realms that I know of," Crowley answered.

"That's all you know?" Dean asked sceptically.

"That's all I know," Crowley spoke to emphasize his words.

"All right, fine, text me Rowena's number," Dean sighed and moved back to his car.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Sammy gave me carte blanch to eat, drink, and make merry. So I have hearts to break. Sure I'm meeting him to eat later, but that doesn't mean I can't get a head start before the sun goes down," Dean answered with a wink and a shrug.

"What are you not telling me?" Crowley asked suspiciously.

"Probably just as much as you aren't telling me," Dean countered.

"Listen, I don't know what's beyond heaven, hell and purgatory because it isn't important to my business here on earth. Terraferma; where all the souls I need are located. So when you have answers to that question, I expect you to tell me," Crowley spoke in tones of threat. "And I don't believe that my mother will tell you anything different. You best leave her out of it."

"Oh no, I need her," Dean said. "Don't you go running off and warning her either, this is important," Dean warned.

"What the hell are you up to?" Crowley asked and his voice seemed more like a low growl.

"When I know myself, I'll let you know," Dean said, "or maybe I wont. I'll decide how to proceed." He finished with a wave this time and then drove off.

"Like hell you will," Crowley grumbled to himself and disappeared into think air.


	23. Air Was Sweet Perfume

_**A/N: Happy Friday, I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!**_

Chapter 23: Air Was Sweet Perfume

Dean spend the rest of the afternoon driving, as had been his plan the whole time, and as he did, he stewed over what had transpired. Two major cases, three witches and a whole shit ton of life altering revelations was enough for a lifetime of any sane human being but this was life as he knew it. Why was this one shaking him in a way that felt like the real end of the world as he knew it. Why now?

He drove along and as he did he started to notice more then just the town but the people as they went about their daily lives, and all at once it hit him. The answer to his questions of why this case had gotten to him. It was because there was a part of him that knew he had to always be apart of this. That by destroying the dolls, something he'd pretty much decided against, he would remove himself from the one constant in his life and he did not want to trust the people he was working with, he knew that without knowing people trusted in him.

The normality of it all was a little shocking, for him, but the life around here was normal and unblemished by the supernatural. The peacefulness that these people knew because they didn't know what else was going on in the world was, in part, thanks to people like him and to be removed, if that was what God wanted, was to end his life completely; the only life he knew.

How he admired the blissfulness of ignorance, of the people, but at the same time he didn't want this small town kind of life. His life was the open road, him and his brother, through thick and thin. That was the only trust he needed. Bad things happened for these people, that was certain, but they lived without the knowledge of the supernatural magic that ruled in shadows, and Dean was happy, at last, to take some credit for it.

The air was sweet with the smells of these mountains, the baking from the shops, the barbecue place and it's smokers; all of it perfumed the air as Dean returned to the motel, his windows rolled down, his heart somehow renewed by the knowledge that he did something, not sure what exactly, but something to ensure that the people here would live out their days, most of them he hoped, in the continued bliss of their oblivion.

He stopped the car in front of their motel room and ventured in only to find that Sam was not yet back from whatever he'd set out to do, so leaving once more he decided to put some time into the car. Cleaning her out, topping up her fluids, and at last finding a coin operated car wash to free her from the desert sands that caked the wheel wells and fogged the windows. Dean spent a good portion of his afternoon just being normal. It was the break he needed though he wouldn't admit it to his brother and at last he returned to the motel once more to see Sam strolling up the street in his own return.

"Hungry Sammy?" Dean asked as he leaned out the window of the shiny clean Impala.

"You were domestic," Sam commented at the sight of the car.

"She needed a little TLC. That desert dust did nothing for her," Dean responded as his brother fell into the seat next to him.

"So where to?" Sam asked.

"I'm starving, I've been productive and now I'm ready to feast," Dean said and winked.

"Yeah, I could eat," Sam nodded.

Dean pulled away once more and wordlessly drove down the town's main drag until Sam motioned to a little place with a parasol lined patio and Dean pulled in. It was the restaurant where the sweet, smokey barbecue smell had been coming and the boys took to the outdoors in the evening sunlight and ordered and settled in as the waitress winked her approval of their choices and walked back into the restaurant.

"So, research?" Dean asked when they were alone again.

"Yeah, you?" Sam asked.

"Same," Dean said slyly, "Rowena is in Boca."

"You called Crowley?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, just to get a jump on things. Now we know where to look for her."

"Clear across the country," Sam said and sighed.

"True, but I'm sure we can find something to do while we travel, I mean, it's why we're here right?"

"I figured you'd just want to get this over with."

"Well, yeah, but everyone is throwing stuff at us as we go. This trip has turned into a quest and has already taken more time then anticipated. So what's another ghost here or vampire nest there?"

"Good point."

"So what did you find out about this Rei woman?" Dean asked as he leaned back in his chair and inhaled the smell of the smoke.

"She was born in Japan, studied there in a family temple until she was needed here. She's some what of a legend, it would seem, and this isn't her first prolonged visit though she doesn't call America home."

"So are we sure she's there?"

"Yeah, she's hanging out, telling fortunes and offering blessing to tourists," Sam answered. "But I doubt very much that is all she's doing."

"Great, and what do you think this one will get us into?"

"Could be a number of things," Sam answered. "They are busy with their festival season but I found a few potential cases we could look into while in the greater Seattle area."

"Good, and if they don't pan out, we could take in a football game," Dean said with a nod as their food arrived.

"Anything else I can get you boys?" The waitress asked as she stood back from the table.

"I think we're good," Dean answered and Sam nodded.

"All right," She said and turned. "If you need anything, just flag me down," she added and left.

"Not your type?" Sam asked when the young woman was gone.

"Most definitely my type," Dean smiled slyly and pulled the paper napkin out from under his plate and waved it at Sam. The waitress's name, number and end of shift were written there.

Sam laughed and shook his head. "You got one night, just give me a heads up."

"Will do, little brother," Dean said and winked.


	24. Refuse To Yield

_**A/N: Happy Friday! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.**_

Chapter 24: Refused To Yield

The evening had played out as Sam had anticipated with Dean absent for most of it, stumbling in very late, or extremely early, and passing out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Sam, the following morning, was the first to rise, gathered his things and headed out in search of something to eat and coffee for the both of them. He returned to find Dean mobile but groggy and handed him a coffee which he accepted graciously and before long they were packed up, checked out, and back on the road.

It was only another six hours before they found themselves in the greater Seattle area. Another quick search for the temple and they managed to find their way to Snonomish, Washington, and the shrine on the river.

"Thought you said this place was busy," Dean said as he and his brother wandered around the grounds, taking in the natural beauty, the tranquility, and the seclusion from the modern world.

"Busy is a state of mind, Dean Winchester," A voice caught them off guard. "You are tumultuous in the best of times, aggravated in the worst," she added prophetically. "And you, Samuel, are in a state of static calm at this time but tumultuousness seems to be a family trait."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that you are Rei?" Dean half asked and the woman in traditional robes bowed in response.

"And you know why we are here?" Sam asked and again the woman bowed, a twinkle in her eyes spoke in her silence.

"But do you know why you are here?" She asked. "Gather your things, we've been preparing for you. You will stay with us here and before long you will understand why."

"Thank you, but we'll get a motel room. We don't want to intrude," Sam declined the offer.

"It wasn't a request Samuel. You will stay here, it is all part of the grand plan, and when we are finished you will have my help, but until then, you will stay. I will not yield. You have much to learn and clarity to find," She said and turned away. "Akio and Kachi will show you to your rooms. I will meet you in the temple hall when you are settled."

"Who?" Dean asked as he looked around for other people and found none.

Rei motioned with her chin to a pair of ravens in a great elm tree above them.

"More birds Sammy," Dean said and sighed.

"The great spirits prefer birds to any other vessel as they rule the sky and can take them to the heavens to find enlightenment with God," Rei spoke as she walked away leaving them speechless and the birds descended to the ground and took on human forms as they did.

"We also prefer birds to humans because hunters will come after a human before they waste time on birds," the first man, short, slender and overly handsome, spoke in a thick accent. He looked like every warrior image Dean had ever seen in the lore books.

"But you, Dean Winchester, have a deep seeded hatred for birds," the second, taller but just as slender, and seemingly much wiser, stated. He too bore resemblance to the first man, and the warrior lineage, but his eyes gave way to something older.

"It is called Ornithophobia, brother, and it is an actual fear," the first said to the second.

"I'm not afraid of birds, I just hate when they shit on my car," Dean snapped.

"You do not have to convince us, you have to convince yourself," the second said and turned to walk away. "This way please."


	25. What Was Revealed

_**A/N: Happy Friday!**_

Chapter 25: What Was Revealed

The rooms that Sam and Dean were given were away from the main temple but still within the grounds of the main establishment, and right next to them were several other occupied rooms. They were divided by nothing more than paper thin walls and decorated screens.

"I don't like this," Dean grumbled as he exited his room and found his brother. "What the hell are you wearing?" He asked.

"What they told me to put on," Sam said. "Why are you being so rude?"

"I'm not here to assimilate," Dean answered the accusation just as accusingly. "I'm here to work."

"God forbid you should learn something," Sam said and walked away.

"Woah Sammy, don't hold anything back," Dean said as he followed. "But that's not why we're here. We know there are jobs and well are you really going to decapitate a vamp with that on?"

"You caught a vampire case?" Sam asked sceptically.

"No, not exactly, it was just an example but I plan to head out and find something."

"You go ahead then and find the cases. I'm going to see if I can't talk to Rei. She is the real reason we're here," Sam said and continued toward the temple building.

"Fine, I will."

"Fine," Sam huffed.

Dean walked off toward the Impala, prepared to prove his brother wrong and find whatever case he could, but as he reached the car he caught the two spirit creatures standing next to it.

"Don't get any funny ideas boys," Dean warned.

"Going so soon?" Akio, the taller of the two asked. "We were under the impression that you were here to find enlightenment. Giving up already?"

"Enlightenment seems more the other brothers thing, kinda like you," Kachi countered to tease his own sibling. "But Dean, you are a warrior, are you not? There is much here you could learn in your warrior ways."

"I'm good, it's a little too quiet around here for me," He answered.

"His mind is too tumultuous to find enlightenment," Akio said. "Perhaps you could learn to quiet that here."

"I like the noise, it shuts out some of the other bad stuff going on in my head," Dean commented.

"Of which there is a life time," Akio said with a bow. "I cannot fault you for that."

"Thanks, I guess," Dean said. "What are you exactly?" He asked. "And why hang around here?"

"Technically, we are Garuda, but we act as familiars to Rei and her cause," Akio answered. "Because we believe in it."

"So an immortal bird man?" Dean asked sceptically.

All in an instant the two men transformed and blotted out the sun with their wings.

"Okay, got it," Dean said and jumped back. "No technicality, for real!"

"Why did you come here?" Kachi asked as the two returned to a human form. "If you are not going to participate or seek betterment, why come at all?"

"We just came because we were sent," Dean answered. "Because Rei is a piece in this puzzle and of all the witches we've met, they have all had us do something for them. So we're hear to help, or at least I am."

"Yes, true, but what was revealed to you surely has changed your mind about many things," Akio spoke to insight a reaction. "You've met witches of different cultures and seen the way they deal with that which should not be known to the mortal man. And you've handled them well, changed your mind about the dolls you posses, so why carry on?"

"It's not like I don't get these kinds of revelations all the time, it's all part of the job and I'd be doing it here or there or anywhere that I'm needed. This trip has been a bit off but nothing like the apocalypse," Dean answered. "I can handle it and I was already on the road."

"The Judeo-Christian apocalypse," Kachi said in a hushed voice to his bother.

"Well it sure wasn't ours," Akio spoke harshly then recovered himself.

"Is that why you take on the crow familiar, to argue with one another and no one knows any different?" Dean asked mockingly, he was insulted by the comments about the apocalypse and reacted as was common for himself.

"I'm sure you and your brother have the very same dynamic, and no, we're ravens because we choose to be whatever we want. They are inconspicuous and extremely intelligent creatures."

"And people always think that the birds are judging them," Kachi explained.

"And we generally are," Akio added.

"All the time," Kachi laughed. "Like when you and your brother showed up in this car we thought about the craftsmanship and then we saw you and realized it was all Daddy issues."

"You're not wrong," Dean said to play along and not let them get under his skin. "She was my father's car. She's now been rebuilt more times then I can count. Nothing, or nearly nothing, in that car has ties to my father anymore, just his memory, I guess," he explained.

"We noticed how well kept she is. There is something else about her as well," Akio spoke. "Something of the magic that you carry with you. Something of the pride you have for her beauty. Something of the hand you had in rebuilding and creating her. She is grateful. She is reliable. She is trusting and concerned for you."

"Well the trunk is full of equipment, and warded," Dean said.

"There is that, but there is a something else all together," Akio commented.

"Like a curse?" Dean asked and there was a hint of something akin to panic in his tone.

"No, but being. This car has being," he answered.

"Not surprising if you treat her as such. To you, she is nearly a person and you treat her as such. Nearly a tulpa but, not quite, this is different being," Kachi commented.

"Who says that I do?" Dean asked defiantly. "She's not a tulpa! Or a thought form. She is my car."

"She does, she told us when you arrived," they answered in unison with one another.

"Learn to listen and she'll talk to you too," Akio spoke when the look of scepticism appeared on Dean's face.

"Or perhaps she already does in some way," Kachi said and smiled knowingly. "When someone works at the craft as much as you do and with your history, and ties to all things magical and supernatural, one is bound to pick up some of the traits. Maybe these witches, from Rei to Rowena, and back again, created those dolls but they are unlike the doll you've created for yourself."

"She's a car, just a car," Dean said to cover his denial and discomfort.

"She's insulted," Akio said and turned and walked away. "I would be too. She's carried you through many things, you should be grateful."

"Have fun on your outing. Good luck sniffing out the bad, Rei keeps things pretty tidy around here," Kachi added with a wave and joined his brother.

A moment later they had transformed again into their raven forms and were among the branches and hidden by leaves before Dean had left.

"I'm sorry baby," Dean mumbled as he fell into the car. "I didn't mean it."

She did not respond.


	26. All In One Place

_**A/N: Happy Friday! I'm so sorry if you haven't been getting notifications for this story, or any of my other ones for that matter. I'm not really sure what's going on with this site but I have been posting.**_

Chapter 26: All In One Place

Sam walked into the main temple area to find the monks gathered around the sacred fire and before them Rei knelt and prayed. Staring, entranced by the fire before her, Rei looked up and seemed to look right through him before she continued. A low hum of meditation rolled like thunder and hung in the air like incense. Sam joined them, kneeling at the back of the room and simply observing. From time to time someone would speak, often in a dialect that Sam was not familiar with but most often, and he was shocked by it, because it was in english or he understood.

The small gathering stayed that way for a long time when suddenly the fire flared and died down unaided by the addition of more wood, and then Rei stood and walked through the crowd to where Sam was. No one followed her but she stopped before Sam.

"Come," She said, "and seek enlightenment within and without."

Sam obeyed and stood. She lead him once more into the well manicured grounds and off toward the river in silence. Above the ravens followed until she stopped at the waters edge and sat. Sam followed without question and then, as if they knew, the ravens joined them in their human forms and sat one to Rei's right and one to Sam's left.

"We look to the elements of this vast creation for the wisdom and knowledge of enlightenment," Rei spoke. "The fire tells me one thing, the water another and the wind something else all together, but there is truth and honesty in it. Something that you will not find that in people," she added and sighed. "People lie."

"What are they telling you?" Sam asked.

"That you are the learned one, steady as the stream, constant as time but your brother is wind and fire, as well as stone and wood but you both can be very dishonest. You are bound to the earth, he is a child of the sky. This isn't new information, not at all, because that is what my magic gave to you when the idea was formed. It was there in the beginning and it is there now, but I am unnerved," she explained. "As bound as you are to this world, your brother as well, you have walked in others that should have spat you out and yet they call out to you in ways I've never experienced, all of them and there are, in general, many more than you know of."

"The angels have it out for us, even though they know we have spoken directly to God and the demons of hell have it out for us because we have aligned with Crowley which many see as a betrayal of Lucifer," Sam explained.

"Those are but two realms in a vast lake of ripples and tides. Every ripple is a world, every new wave a new creation. They are vast and ever changing and, if I may be so bold, and because you are so directly connected with God, it radiates off of you, I believe this journey quest, the searching plane you are on is to put you in the path of understanding these different ripples."

"We know about them," Sam spoke almost defensively and then, after a moment in silent contemplation, "But we have been wrapped up in much of the Judeo-Christian issues for so long."

"And the pagans, you've handled a lot of those, or at least the ones that like to travel," Akio spoke at Sam's side.

"And the British Men of Letters have handled all the rest," Sam commented.

"Not all of them," Rei corrected.

"The British Men of Letters think very highly of themselves, but really they have cleared one tiny island, not even stretching as far as their most connected northern neighbours. The witch's circle in the Celtic countries is still very, very real and many of the pagans travel all throughout Europe, Euro-Asia and Russia," Kachi explained.

"China has it's own regime, they have for years, but our people travel through most of Asia and Euro-Asia, those parts not under China's control. We also stay out of North Korea for safety sake," Akio picked up where his brother had stopped. "We do not identify as Men of Letters but you seem to."

"Not in any official capacity," Sam said.

"As closed as thing are to certain countries, the larger land masses help each other out. Forget what is written, the alliances of the modern wars, these is a system of Hunters all over this world, and ancient as they are, they still fight the advances of technology, the global market, the Men of Letters who believe they were the first to do this work when really we have been organized for centuries before they came along but you boy are a force unseen by this world and you remain for the most part, land locked. Why?" Rei asked.

"Dean is afraid of flying," Sam confessed and the birdly brothers looked to each other in sceptic disbelief.

"And yet your reputation is global," Rei spoke. "It is odd, to be sure, when Dean is like the wind but the ties to this realm may explain his fear."

"Everyone needs one crippling, irrational, rather ridiculous phobia," Akio commented.

"You would think it would be something monstrous in your line of work," Kachi said.

"I'm afraid of clowns," Sam said and shrugged.

"Any sane person, of sound mind and enlightened soul, is afraid of clowns," Kachi spoke as if his words were a universal truth. "Clowns are monsters."

"I agree," Sam said and chuckled.

"Flight, however, is freedom," Akio spoke.

"I think it's more being confined in a giant tin can that could potentially plummet from the sky at any moment to certain death. That is Dean's real fear," Sam stood up for his brother. "Many times we have been lifted and dropped from varying heights, and though it hurts, that doesn't seem to brother him."

"So if he had wings, or a form as we do, you believe he would be fine?" Kachi asked and then continued along his line of thinking, "yes, that is a logical fear. Flying machines are unnatural at best. Yes, I see his fear much more realistically now. But he does drive the car…"

"Less chance of plummeting to your death when you never leave the ground," Sam said. "And statistically speaking, you are more likely to survive a car crash then a plane crash."

"You paint a very interesting picture Samuel, both with your words and your actions. On the day we were asked to form you as beings of this realm, not even God himself, would have imagined how you'd turn out or the true path you would walk. Outside your intended purpose, you and your brother have formed and shaped a niche in creation, your own ripple if you will. I find it so fascinating but we cannot seek enlightenment all day, we have work to do," Rei spoke to bring the conversation back around to where they'd began.

"A case?" Sam asked as Rei stood and he followed.

"Of course, why else would we invite you to stay? All you need is my word that I will join you in Kansas and Ayianna could have told you I would do so."

"So what's the case?" Sam asked.

"Patience, we will nourish our bodies and wait for your brother, and then we will being."


	27. A Generation Lost

_**A/N: Happy Friday Everyone! Hope you've been having a wonderful week.**_

Chapter 27: A Generation Lost

Dean returned frustrated by his lack of success even though he'd been told that he wouldn't find anything because of Rei. He'd been prepared to prove her wrong in his defiance but only found that she was right. This part of rural Washington was quiet, peaceful, no weird animal attacks or ghosts or oddities of any kind. Nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, it was down right boring. And so he returned to the temple, found himself uninterrupted by the pair of ravens siblings and so he went to his room, changed into the uniform that he'd been given and because he'd stewed on his brother's accusation of his rudeness, he went in search of his brother and hosts to apologize.

Dean found Sam, Rei, Akio and Kachi in another structure, sitting around a low table conversing cheerfully.

"You've returned, come, sit, eat with us," Rei invited the newcomer to their table.

"You've decided to assimilate?" Sam asked his brother as he sat down beside him.

"Jerk," Dean whispered under his breath and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Find anything?" Kachi asked as the food was passed to Dean.

"Nothing but a boring, normal, little town," Dean said.

"And that is how we like to keep it. Quiet, quaint, under our control. You have enough to deal with but I am glad you are here to help us now. We do have a slight disturbance that we would like your assistance with and which could get out of hand if not handled properly," Rei spoke as she ceremonially poured out tea for the men and deities around her.

"Yes, please, put me to work," Dean said with his mouth full. "This is delicious by the way."

"Thank you," Rei giggled.

"So what's the case?" Sam asked.

"The temple has an attachment, a Yuki-onna. She followed me on my most recent return. We need humans to hunt her because she feeds on human essence."

"And she wont go after the Garuda because they aren't human and you are more witch then anything. Got it, let's do it, leave it to us," Dean said and smiled.

"I prefer temple maiden or priestess to witch Dean," Rei spoke to correct but there was sweetness in it. "And technically she is attached to me so she wont come to me."

"We've never work a Yuki-onna case," Sam said reluctantly.

"I'm not surprised, they are rare, mainly attached to Japan and the mountain forests and only show themselves in snowfall. Lost wanderers in the mountainous wilderness are her ideal prey."

"And that is why she hasn't killed yet?" Sam asked. "How do you know she's here?"

"The fire has told me," Rei answered. "And I have spoke to her through it."

"Okay, so how are we going to hunt her if she appears in snowfall?" Dean asked.

"There are flurries in the forecast for tomorrow, in the upper elevations. We can assist in driving the snow down but if it is too warm then it will turn to rain. Your best bet is to go up the mountain and she will follow you until conditions are ideal for her to hunt," Akio explained.

"All right, we'll go into the mountains, but how do we kill her?" Dean asked.

"You have two options. First is that you could trap her in a vial of snow kissed mountain air, with a spell I will provide to you. If she attacks you, then things get more complicated. She can only be killed by a flaming arrow shot by a blessed warrior."

"See Sammy, bow hunting is an important skill," Dean said and winked at his brother. "We have crossbows in the Impala and fire is our speciality."

"Unfortunately the arrow and bow, must be made of bamboo and wound in rattan before being lacquered. The fire must come from the sacred fire of the temples. In other words you must use the samurai weapons like these and have but one day to train," Rei explained and motioned to the highly decorated weapons on the wall of the room.

"How do we take the sacred fire of the temple into the mountains to light the arrows?" Dean asked.

"In the ceremony of blessings we will light the lanterns to guide your way into the mountains using the sacred fire. If they go out you are in trouble," Kachi answered.

"What will the Yuki-onna do to us?" Sam asked.

"Freeze you and then such out your soul," Kachi answered.

"I don't need another soulless Sam on my hands," Dean grumbled.

"The freezing would kill you in no time," Kachi said with a shrug.

"Is there anyway to counter act her affects?" Sam asked.

"Blow torch?" Dean asked optimistically.

"Holy oil blessed by a priestess and then set ablaze on the victim but if the freezing doesn't kill you the fire might, if you don't put it out."

"So stick close to the river?" Dean asked.

"Bingo," Kachi responded.

"Sounds very complicated," Sam commented.

"It will be, but I will make sure you are well prepared," Rei vowed.

"Okay but what else can get us out in these mountains?" Sam asked.

"Bears, wolves, Bigfoot," Akio answered.

"The Garuda will go with you for protection, and I am certain that your arsenal will be enough to protect you in the wilderness. I have great faith in you both," Rei spoke. "You are not made of the things of this lost generation, but we can make you what you need to be. You are creations of protection."

"Awesome, I guess," Dean said and sighed.

"Tonight you will rest, at dawn we will begin the ritual of the warriors, and your training will begin and end before we set you forth into the mountains," Rei said with a bow of her head.

"We should probably get some practice in with the old bows," Sam said and looked to his brother.

"How different can they be?" Dean asked dismissively. "I want a lesson with the swords, someone please teach me that!"

"From modern, compound bows Dean?" Sam asked sceptically. "The ones dad taught us on ages ago? The ones we abandoned long ago for the mechanical crossbows? I'm going to go out on a limp and say very different. You probably shouldn't be wasting time unless you want to end up the soulless one."

"Yes, Samuel is right, these are very different from those. These were a sign of a samurai's strength and prowess. You will need to practice," Rei said seriously. "Unless you would like to depend on trapping the snow woman."

"Nah, we'll practice," Dean said.

"Well you are fed, perhaps you should start now," Rei said and stood from her place to take the bows down off of the wall.


	28. Be Nimble Be Quick

_**A/N: Happy Friday! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!**_

Chapter 28: Be Nimble. Be Quick.

Together Sam and Dean were taken into a clearing where targets had been set up and they were left to work with the bows. Although the instruments were unfamiliar, and harder to use, they picked up the techniques quickly and with proficiency.

"You boys are better than I expected," Rei said as she joined them. Darkness was falling, the targets were harder to see but the boys kept at it.

"Bow hunting is an important skill," Dean said proudly. "I'd pay money to try this on horseback. What do you think Sammy?"

"No thanks," Sam said. "I'm more concerned with hand to hand combat. Arrows are great long distance but what happens if the Yuki-onna gets close enough to touch you. What does that do?" he asked as Rei held out a silver dagger with an iron handle.

"It wont kill the Yuki-onna but she is like a ghost and it will slow her down," Rei answered.

"You don't have a Katana with an iron handle do you?" Dean asked.

"No," Rei answered.

"Should have brought ours from home," Dean cursed under his breath.

Rei watched Dean with interest.

"If it's a ghost, or something like a ghost, how does it deal with salt?" Dean asked.

"Likely the same as it does with iron," Sam said.

"So we raid our arsenal as well," He said. "So, is there a road to take us up into the mountains?"

"Only so far," Rei said. "And you'll have to lure her out."

"I hate camping," Dean grumbled.

"In the cold," Sam added. "There has to be something this spirit wants. What is it?"

"Legend goes something like this; the Yuki-onna is the spirit of a warriors bride. She pines for the one who never returned from great battles."

"So like a woman in white," Dean said. "It wants to seduce men and then she feeds on them, but why has she attached herself to you?" Dean asked.

"Not just men," Rei answered. "She is out for the warriors, no matter the gender."

"And you are one?" Sam asked.

"In a way, yes, but my magic makes me more appealing. I have the ability to use the fire in ways that fascinate. She wont come after me because she believes that I can contact the one she lost."

"And can you?" Dean asked.

"I suppose I could, if I had a name," Rei answered. "Why do you ask?"

"If she is like a ghost and that is what she wants most, couldn't we summon her lost love and force a crossing without killing her?"

"Dean Winchester, you don't strike me as overly sentimental," Rei said and smiled.

"I don't like to admit it but I am," he said. "More so then most, I mean look at how I treat my car. But honestly, in our line of work, and dealing for so long with spirits who are just lost or have desires that keep them trapped, sometimes it's nice to be able to help. A save is a save, in a world of so much loss. If what this spirit wants is to find her warrior, not just any one in particular, and you have the means to do that then shouldn't we try that before we out right send her into exile?" He asked.

"Perhaps I should come with you after all. If it doesn't work, I'll still need you to do what needs to be done."

"That we can handle," Dean said and fired another arrow without much preparation and nailed the bullseye. "Oh Sammy check that out." He stated boastfully. "God I'm good!"

"I think that is enough training for tonight. Come, it's getting colder," Rei said as Sam rolled his eyes at an overly excited Dean.

"I'm going to stay a little longer. I'll find my way back," Dean said and lined up another shot. "Wanna stick around Sammy and see if I can split an arrow?"

"No thanks, I'll go in," Sam said and shouldered the instrument of war he'd been practicing with. "Leave him to what he finds entertaining."

"Very well," Rei said and together she and Sam retreated back to the temple.


	29. A Candle Stick

_**A/N: Happy Friday! Hope this makes sense, I'm feeling under the weather…**_

Chapter 29: A Candle Stick

The wind picked up as the darkness grew thicker but Dean remained in the quiet clearing. It had calmed him down and centred him. A pair of torches were lit down the far end of the field and placed to light the target and the small shelter, no more than four posts with a roof and a small table where the equipment was laid out was lit by only a candle stick.

The wind was an added obstacle that carried the arrows off target and as it picked up and gusted Dean slowed his breathing. He focused his concentration and began to listen and feel the wind and it's direction, in relation to the beating of his heart and the world around him.

It wasn't like Dean to remain this calm but the steadiness of his breathing, the chill in the air and the added variables that he set his mind to concurring brought him to a place where at last, and between breaths and wind gusts, he landed a well placed concentration of arrows in the centre of the target.

"Impressive," A woman spoke from behind him. She sounded similar to Rei but different in the whispered harshness and as he turned to see her he beheld a white lacy shadow of a woman; beautiful by any estimation but not of this world.

"Thank you," Dean said with a slight bow as he tried to calm his now racing heart.

"You're new around here," the woman said.

"I arrived today with my brother," Dean said and turned away from her, levelling his gaze at the target once more and aimed, waiting for a break in the beating of his heart and the wailing of the wind.

"You've come to train here, I see that. For you are a warrior but aren't there much more important things in life, such as love, companionship, family?" She asked.

"All things that can be threatened if you aren't able to protect them," Dean said as he felt the chill of her breath on his neck. "I strive to protect the ones I love."

"Will you protect me?" She asked.

"From what?" Dean replied with a question as he turned to face her once more.

"There are great forces trying to keep me from the one I love. I've looked far and wide, traveled great distances and among so many different peoples but there is no sign of him and I must find him."

"Is he dead?" Dean asked and saw something like anger flaring in her icy eyes.

"Death is no obstacle, not for love, but I cannot reach out to him in the other realms and those whom I've met who can, will not help me."

"You cannot speak through the holy fire?" Dean asked.

"I cannot, for I am cursed," the woman spoke and this time she became sad and forlorn as she stared at the sky and listened to the wind. "I cannot enter into the place where it is kept. I cannot leave the cold. I cannot hunt, or feed, without the snow, and without this wind I would not be able to speak to you now."

"Cursed by whom?" Dean asked.

"A demon. I am neither dead, nor am I alive, but bound to the wind and the snow. Not a demon of your realm, or your culture, but my own and ancient. To break the curse I must find my warrior or perish by the hands of one who hunts creatures like me. Like you, I seek the help of the witch that has brought me here but she will not listen to my pleas," She answered. "Because she had a hand in my curse."

"How?" Dean asked.

"She stole from me, she granted access to the master, placed me before him as a trophy, but I could never love him the way he wanted and so he sold his soul, the way most men do, to the evil of their desires."

"Are you the Yuki-onna?" He asked.

"I am like the Yuki-onna, similar but not the same. Because the Yuki-onna is ghost, formed by the love loss. I was cursed. I wasn't killed but I wish I could be. Death would be simpler. I prayed for death but the reapers never came."

"Then why do you kill men?" Dean asked.

"To live on, because it is part of the curse," she answered. "I am to be perceived as the ghost and monster of mythology."

"What is the warrior's name?"

"Akiniko, is my warrior's name and I was once Koharu. The demon who cursed me was Amanjaku. He tricked me into this form because the master who dealt with him was jealous of my connection with Akiniko. I was lured by the master to the servant evil, out into the mountains to watch the battle of my warrior and to pray over them for safety. But when the snow began and the wind woke the spirits of the forests, he cursed me into this spirit form."

"And why are you looking for help now? This could be a trap for me," he said. "How do I know that you are telling the truth?"

"Ask the witch who is lying to you," she countered with an aggression that Dean had not yet experienced. "She will tell you that I am the liar, but she brought me here to you. She is the reason that Akiniko is dead."

"She killed him?" Dean asked.

"No, but she took his spirit in the middle of a battle, and while I watched, he was assaulted. He died but I could not see him, his body, his soul, it was gone in a bright flash of blue light and I have been searching ever since."

Dean grew silent, the anger welling up in him. Rei had been so vauge in her explanations but they had believed her, but why? She was a witch and he knew better.

"Why do you think I can help you?" He asked.

"You have the warriors spirit," she answered. "I know what you are and why you practice with these weapons. Is your plan not to trap me once and for all? I have been watching you and your brother for sometime and the witch Rei called me out of the mountains today when you arrived."

"Then you know we are here to help wherever we can," Dean said.

"You mean kill on command of others," she accused.

"Not if I can help it," Dean responded. "I'll make up my own mind."

"You are the one with the idea to help me," She said. "I overheard that conversation. But how do I trust a man like you? I hope you are right and just, and that you can help. If not, we meet tomorrow and you will do what you must to put me out of my misery as well. But please, I beg of you, bring the reaper that will take me away. I will find Akiniko in the land of the dead if I can just find my way to it," She said and before his eyes, lit only by the candle stick, she faded away into nothingness and floated away like the wind.


	30. Fire Is The Devil's Only Friend

_**A/N: Happy Friday! Hope you are all having a wonderful week.**_

Chapter 30: Fire Is The Devil's Only Friend

Dean rushed back to the temple but the space was empty. The fire still burned in its hearth but there was no one around to tend it, and just seeing it there, burning made him angrier and defensive. He rushed off in search of his brother, in the other building where they were being housed and found the lamps lit, the gentle sounds of slumbering people, and Sam's figure in the shadows cast on the paper thin walls.

"I need to talk to you," Dean whispered harshly as Sam opened the door to his room.

"Come in," Sam said and moved aside.

"Not here, Sammy. The walls are too thin."

"Can't it wait until morning?" Sam asked.

"Sam no, come on. I saw her, the Yuki-onna. She spoke to me and I think something is going on here. I think someone is yanking our chain," Dean whispered and together they rushed down to the Impala, fell into it and Sam stopped and stared.

"I thought she only appeared in snow," He said as he watched his older brother with interest and disbelief.

"What do we really know?" Dean asked and sighed. "All our books are back in the bunker, so all of the information we've been spoon fed is all from the people we are trusting blindly. Did you know that Rei summoned the spirit when we arrived?" He asked.

"No," Sam answered. "But the spirit could be lying."

"Do you trust them? The witch. The spirit bird thingies. The spirit somewhere between a ghost and a lost soul. Do you trust them?" Dean asked.

"I trust you and only you, but we need Rei to help with the dolls. So what are we supposed to do? I'd be a fool to totally trust a witch and things have been going way too smoothly with the last ones, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Because we know things are not going to go smoothly with Rowena," Dean said, sighed, and leaned back in his seat. "She said its a curse and the way to break it is to summon her lover."

"Who cursed her?" Sam asked. "It wasn't Rei, was it?"

"No, or at least that's not what she said. It was an Amanojaku that was being controlled."

"A demon, kinda like a trickster but tied to that realm," Sam said to corroborate the idea.

"Or she could be lying. What do we really know?" Dean asked.

"I can access the archives back home and I'll see who's story seems the most plausible. Then we can decide from there."

"Does the temple have wifi?" Dean asked.

"No, so we'd better head down the mountain," Sam answered.

"She also said that we could summon the warrior Akiniko through the fire," Dean said before his brother could move. "Why hasn't Rei done that?"

"Maybe it's a lie. Maybe everyone is being deceived. Maybe we should summon the demon and ask it some questions."

"Or our demon king," Dean offered.

"You think he'll come again, I know you called out to him. He texted me to tighten your leash," Sam said.

"It's a worth a shot, and he should know better than to think that you could ever control me. I'll call him first. But we better not go down into the town looking like this. People may wonder what we're up to."

"At this hour? We'll be lucky to find something open, and even then they are going to talk," Sam laughed. "But really, who's story do you believe?"

"I don't know, maybe they are both telling the truth and we just haven't been given all of the particulars. Rei was vague in her explanation and the Yuki-onna, if that's what she really is, seems genuine as well. Either way, and collecting witches as we are, we're playing with fire."

"The devil's only friend," Sam said in agreement. "We may just get burned on this one."

"I know," Dean said and exhaled loudly.

"Come on, let's go. I don't foresee any sleep in our future."

"No we have a job to do," Dean said and together the brothers exited the car and returned to the temple only to fetch their things and take off once more.


	31. Hands Clenched In Fists

_**A/N: Happy Friday. Happy Long Weekend. Happy Easter!**_

Chapter 31: Hands Clenched In Fists

Having spent most of the night and early morning hours down in the city at a twenty-four hour Internet cafe, Sam and Dean returned to the temple to find Rei and her companions seated on the steps that lead up to it. It looked as though they had been there, just waiting, for quite some time, but there was a tranquility about them.

"Out all night? I hope you found what you were seeking," Rei spoke as they stopped before her.

"We did find some answers," Dean said as he looked to his brother, who nodded at him to continued. "And it would seem that you have some explaining to do."

"You could have asked me anything and I would have answered your questions honestly, but instead you chose to flee in secret," she retorted.

"I chose to trust my brother because you weren't telling us the whole truth, and why should I believe you now when I know you lied?" Dean responded. "And we're really not the trusting type, especially not when witches are involved. What did you think would happen? You assumed that we would just be good little soldiers and follow your every command. Sorry sweetheart, that's not how these hunters role. So we built this case for ourselves and we will handle it ourselves, the way we have for literally our entire lives. My one main question for you now is why? If you've known about Koharu as long as you claim to have, why haven't you listened to her?" He demanded and the two companions looked to her in confusion.

"You know her name?" Rei asked in shock.

"She came to me, as you intended, and she told me a lot of things. I know her name and the warrior's name, and the kind of demon that cursed her," Dean answered. "She told me her backstory and just how you were involved."

"Why would you summon her here and then lie about it?" Sam asked. "Who are you trying to impress, or what are you trying to prove? Feels like you just want us under your thumb, and we don't do well as captives."

"It is very complicated. What else did she tell you?" Rei asked and the question was confession enough for her companions.

"Enough to question what you spun for us and that's why we went off on our own," Dean answered. "She's not a true Yuki-Onna."

"How do you figure," Akio asked.

"A Yuki-Onna is a full on vengeful spirit, a lady in white, her guilt is what is supposed to drive her but Koharu is not guilty. And furthermore they are formed the same way as a woman in white or a poltergeist but they are tied to the land of their origins. If Koharu were a true Yuki-Onna she would not be able to follow you or be summoned out of her forest. You would have to take us there to defeat her," Sam explained.

"She's cursed, and made to be like the Yuki-Onna but not exactly. It's all to cover up a much greater deception," Dean said. "It was a demon's doing."

"An Amanjaku," Sam added.

"A demon being controlled by a master and when we called the king of hell, which we did, to find out who was controlling the demon we were given a name and that man, a man now in hell for his treachery told us who gave him the magic to trap the demon, to enslave it, and do you have any idea who that person was?" Dean continued as, for the first time, Rei seemed to lose her composure.

"Witches, some are good, some are bad, and some do bad things for the greater good," she said as she clenched her fists.

"Why did you help him enslave her? She is bound by your magic and that is why she follows you," Dean accused. "Not the other way around."

"Because I needed the warrior and the master wanted the woman," Rei answered. "It was all just business."

"So you sacrificed the life of an innocent knowing that the master you sold the magic too was a monster in his own right?" Dean asked harshly.

"The warrior's soul was needed in the creation of you," she said as something like knowledge came into her manner. "That is why she is here. You exude the warrior's essence that is present in those dolls and I knew that you could finally free her. I had no idea that she would deny the master in the way that she did, you can't blame me for her situation. I am trying to fix this."

"We can blame you, and we do," Dean said. "And you're making it worse because you have every opportunity to fix this yourself but you haven't. She's bound by your magic. Drawn not only to Sam and I, but to you. You could have fixed it. It's just easier if we do it. Stop lying."

"So you say need us to free her, but we're not sure why, all of a sudden, you want to. Is it a matter of conscience? Do you just want her gone so that we wouldn't find out? Are you that kind of evil, or scared, or just plain desperate to be rid of her after all this time?" Sam asked and sighed.

"I needed one of you to get her to speak. She can only speak to the warrior as part of the curse but he is dead and so too shall she be if we break the curse."

"You're still lying. She's bound by your magic. You can speak to her," Sam accused and the woman lowered her eyes.

"Even if we hadn't called you out, even if you were telling the truth, we're hear and you could have told us that from the beginning. Regardless, you can now summon the warrior spirit here as well because you have his name and you have the dolls within your reach," Dean said.

"True," she answered with a slight nod.

"What does that mean for us?" Sam asked. "You spun a tale to make us go after her when really all you needed was the dolls, if at all, one little act and you've caused distrust."

"That's why you wanted me to come in last night. You were afraid she would talk to me without you present. And you thought, because I am who I am, I wouldn't believe her or I would just kill her on the spot with that bow and arrows. We don't actually need the sacred fire for the ritual because she's not a true Yuki-Onna and so, had I just reacted, I would have killed her and this would be over," Dean said. "And it would prove that you aren't as just and righteous as you claim to be because I'm not as dumb as I look and I would have put it together then that you had lied to us, but if I've learned anything in all my years of hunting, it's that everything isn't just as it seems and you can't take peoples word for much these days. I learned to listen and when stories are too different then someone is lying."

"So what now?" Sam asked and set his resolve.

"Who cares Sam, she's suffered long enough on account of us, on account of Rei, and she deserves mercy, finally. We know what we have to do and we don't need Rei to do it," Dean stated.

"And what are we going to suffered is we free this poor soul?" Sam asked.

"Again, who cares. Haven't we suffered long enough and for much more than this?" Dean asked. "We know what we have to do and what is right and removing the warrior spirit from the dolls isn't going to be as easy as that, or Chuck wouldn't have told us to gather all five. So I doubt very much that saving these two is going to do anything at all to those dolls."

"You would give up on the plan God has set for you?" Rei asked.

"I'm going to have very strong words for God when he and I meet again," Dean retorted. "For now, we are dealing with an innocent and I hope you feel the guilt of this situation for the rest of your natural life."

"He can hear you now," she said in retort.

"I know," Dean stated and stood his ground. "And I'm curing him with every breathe."

"What does this all mean for us?" Sam asked once more.

"I don't believe there will be any lasting effects or ramifications if you free the warrior and his beloved. I cannot bring the warrior back or his lady but I can reunite their souls and perhaps summon a reaper to help them cross properly."

"Then do that," Dean said and huffed. "And summon the demon while you're at it so I can kill it."

"The demon was just following orders," Rei countered.

"As were you," Dean said. "And if I didn't need you for my collection of witches I'd kill you where you stand," he threatened and stormed off.

"Was this known to you all this time?" Akio asked angrily. "The deception and the injustice of it all?"

"Yes," She answered.

"This makes you just as bad as the master because you caused such suffering to occur," Kachi said and moved to follow Dean.

"I agree with him," Sam said.

"As do I," Akio stated. "You are not the person I thought you were."

"It was God's will," she protested.

"It was wrong, and you know it," Sam accused, "but you did it anyway. And now we are going to end it, no thank to you," he finished and he and Akio followed Kachi in search of Dean.


	32. No Angel Born In Hell

_**A/N: So sorry that break took so long, but on the bright side I was able to focus enough to finish writing this story. It's not typed up or edited, but it's finished!**_

Chapter 32: No Angel Born In Hell

Dean had wandered around the grounds, avoiding the temple and contemplating the ladies he'd met. He expected as much from the likes of Rowena but something about the first three witches that they had come into contact with had lightened his burden of distrust; that is until now.

"I'm sorry about Rei," Kachi spoke to announce his presence. "I did not know that she was capable of such things but I have not been with her all her life."

"It's not just her," Dean said as his brother and the spirit bird's brother appeared as well. "It's witches in general and trust and what was done to Sam and I without our permission or knowledge. Just because God has a plan; so that gives him permission enough to make others suffer?"

"And then you find out about it and all the responsibilities that come with it and the guilt that falls on you," Sam added to his brothers speech. "And for what? If it's God's will then it happens but he doesn't take any responsibility for it, he just passes it off as humanity."

"It's not your fault that Rei did whatever it is she did," Akio spoke calmly and in his philosophical way. "But the way you choose to handle the situation will speak to the nobility of it."

"But it is our responsibility to deal with it, to save Koharu's soul, in whatever way we can; not that we can give her back her life, but to make it right, it should be Rei's responsibility not ours," Dean said and the others nodded their agreement. "We shouldn't have to be responsible for the actions of others but what these witches did to us, because it was God's will or something, we now get to be responsible and it's bullshit!"

"We're responsible for redeeming Lucifer," Sam added.

"Or to stop the apocalypse all together," Dean added. "We stopped part of it, in the end, but not all that came before it or what is to come because there are forces trying to put it back on the rails. Why is that my responsibility? The answer we get is because that's what we were created for, and you know what, it's bullshit!"

"Kachi, if you'd have known this one little thing about Rei, after all that we've seen of the good that she has done, would you still devote your life to her cause?" Akio asked to try and calm them all down, but also to try another tactic.

"I'd follow Sam and Dean," Kachi answered.

"You don't wanna do that. People around us tend to get hurt, same goes for creatures and spirits and magical beings, whether your good or not, everyone that comes near us dies," Sam said.

"We aren't actually people," Kachi said in a matter of fact way. "And everyone, everything that has breathe, dies Sam Winchester, and that isn't in any way your fault."

"Right, Garuda," Dean said dismissively.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd hunt us down," Akio said.

"Are you killing?" Sam asked.

"No, never," Kachi answered.

"Then you wouldn't likely ever cross our paths," Dean said. "We hunt those who hunt humans for their own gain. Sure it's hypocritical, it's still killing, but we have to have a moral compass of some kind and if you don't make waves, or the news papers, then we would never come after you. My moral compass is Sam, he keeps me honest, and sane, and drives me crazy sometimes too."

"Maybe I was once, but things have changed a lot since the first cases we tackled without dad," Sam said and shook his head. "We seem to be floundering as of late."

"The lines get blurred somewhere," Dean offered. "Witches; I blame the witches. They've got me all confused and tangled up."

"Questioning how we helped the last three?" Sam asked.

"Well yeah," Dean confessed. "The demon in Slaughter was handed to us. The poltergeist in Sulphur was a test of our skills and now this vengeful spirit, to save this poor, innocent, soul. What was the point but to test our resolve and our loyalty, our trust and our skills, and to get what they wanted in the end. Are these witches playing us just as Chuck is?" Dean asked. "Or are we just the fools in this whole thing?"

"I feel like a fool," Kachi said.

"Yes, we certainly are Kachi but there is still a job to do and the road to hell is paved with good intentions," Sam said.

"No angel burning in hell this day," Dean said and rolled his eyes. "But you're right, we have work to do and we're not the running types, not when innocence is at stake."

"So we're going to finish the job?" Sam asked.

"Since when do we not?" Dean asked in retort. "Digging our own graves, probably, but we already put a whole night into research, I'm not about to waste all that time. If rock and roll has taught us anything, Sammy, it's to go big or go home."

"Then let's find this soul peace, if that's the best we can do for her," Sam said and nodded.

"We'll help," Kachi said and Akio nodded. "And we'll keep an eye on Rei from now on."

"And make sure she shows up when you need her," Akio vowed.

"Thanks boys," Dean said and smiled slightly for the first time in a long time. "So here's the plan," he added and got down to the business he knew best.


	33. Break That Spell

Chapter 33: Break That Spell

"I like this plan," Kachi said after listening to Sam and Dean. They played off one another, wove ideas together and countered them with possible outcomes. It was clear to the spirit beings that this was how well oiled the machine really was; that the brothers were the true supernatural force in the world.

"What's it going to take for you to work your magic; literally and figuratively speaking?" Dean asked and looked at the human forms of the spirit birds. "What do you need from us?"

"We'll do our best to help in any way we can, but unfortunately, the weather isn't really our thing. We're more guides and protectors," Akio confessed. "Blot out the sun, tear someone to shreds, that's the easy stuff. Make it snow; less in our wheel house but we can punch the weather to you if it's already there. It could take some time to find it and move it if it's not."

"Too bad we don't have the Thunder Birds for this one," Dean said and sighed.

"We could call Ayianna," Sam offered.

"She wouldn't give me her number," Dean said and shrugged.

"Well I've got her email from her blog," Sam added.

"Right, because she's a modern medicine woman. Send her a line," Dean said and nodded. "But don't count on it."

"And what if you are wrong about Koharu?" Akio asked, "And she really is a Yuki-Onna trying to kill you?"

"She's going to be the least of your worries. Akiniko, the warrior, will be the problem," Rei said as she approached the hunters carrying a lantern with a single burning flame. "He doesn't trust me, or any of those involved in his demise because of how it happened. If you summon him, he will fight you and she will try to defend him as well. Take this fire. It is the sacred flame," she finished and held out the lantern to Sam.

"Why are you cooperating now?" Dean asked suspiciously. "If that is what this is? Why should we trust you?"

"I'd planned, all along, to cooperate," she responded. "I take responsibility for not telling you the whole truth of the situations and maybe some of it was for my own benefit. I thought you would be able to settle and find the enlightenment yourselves, and you did, but not as I expected and for that I am sorry."

"Why did you need to take from one person to make us?" Dean asked. "Did the others do the same?"

"That is how bloodlines work," She answered. "Deep in your ancestry, through a branch of the Campbell family, you have ties to my people and the native Americans; those who were forced here and those who arrived in search of better things. On your father's side, deep in the ancestry, you'll find ties to the Europeans and father still, Africa. The ties are all there in the lines of your lives for very important reasons. I simply gave you the warriors heart of an ancestor," she answered.

"Akiniko is our ancestor?" Dean asked in shock.

"Yes, as far back as the ice ages. When the people of Euro asia crossed the ice passage in the north and settled in this land. We are as tied to the North Americans as science can prove, but also each of the witches gave of themselves. Your love of pie, your ties to knowledge, it was my warrior past and a shared ancestor between us. Akiniko, who's name I've always know, is my mothers great nephew," She explained.

"That migration is just a theory," Sam spoke with skepticism in his tone.

"It will be proven in some age, perhaps, even yours," she said.

"He won't know us though, will he?" Dean asked.

"No, he'll know his heart though and that is what you are setting out to return to him. You will make him see the family connection between you and him," she said. "That is why it has to be you."

"How did he die?" Sam asked.

"It was a great battle. He was separated from his fellow warriors in the conditions as the wind whipped up and visibility disappeared. Supernatural beings attacked at the order of the demon and he was taken by them," She answered. "They had been out fighting the supernatural. Even then it was a part of your ancestor's work. But the beasts were betrayed by the demon and Akiniko's family of warriors never found his remains."

"Where are they?" Dean asked.

"They were ceremonially burned a long time ago," She answered. "By me, at the ancestral plot though none of his family is aware of that. They are where they belong and tied to the forest where Koharu was cursed."

"Then we will summon the demon that tricked him and killed him, and we'll kill it for him. That's what family does," Dean said.

"Be careful," Rei said as the sky darkened and all at once the Thunder Birds dropped from the sky.

"That was quick!" Dean said and looked to his brother.

"It wasn't me," Sam answered.

"The fire connects Rei to Aiyanna. She heard you ask for us," Giisis said and shook Dean's hand.

"Wanna hunt an ancient Japanese demon and reunite star crossed lovers with us?" Dean asked excitedly.

"We wouldn't have come all this way if we didn't," Agaashinyi said and embraced Dean.

"Whoa there big fella, can't breath!" He said and was released.

"This is Akio and Kachi, they are Garuda," Sam said to their friends.

"Brothers of our mother sky," Giizis said and bowed.

"You'll be well protected but take heed of what is to come in the depths of the dark forest," Rei warned and turned back toward the temple.

"You're not coming along?" Sam asked.

"I've caused enough trouble but I will pray for you here," She answered. "You have everything you need to perform The Summoning and the Rituals. Go, do what you are meant to do," She bowed and left them alone.

"So what's the plan?" Agaashinyi asked.

"We need a blizzard," Dean said and smiled.

"Have you ever heard the thunder rolls through a snow storm?" Kachi asked. "It's the sign of great celestial battles and good luck to the warriors below."

"And you shall have it," Agaashinyi added with a bow of his head.


	34. Flames Climbed High Into The Night

Chapter 34: Flames Climbed High Into The Night

The six remained together for much of the day, laying out their plans and trouble shooting for possible complications, and as they did so the morning crossed to the midday and before long they returned to the temple to retrieve the weapons, eat and rest. As night approached Sun and Small, the Thunder Birds, became anxious turning their faces toward mother sky and in their silence communicated with the great spirit that dwelled there.

"It is nearly time," Agaashinyi spoke.

"Small is right, we should get a move on," Akio said.

"Pack the car and head into the mountains, who is willing to join us?" Dean asked.

"In the car?" Kachi asked sceptically. "I'll go, I guess."

"We won't fit, it is rare for us to travel any other way but we will stay close to you," Giizis responded.

"You are giants," Akio commented in a matter of fact way.

"Make you feel tiny?" Dean asked as he elbowed his brother.

"I always feel pretty small and insignificant in the world of the supernatural," Sam answered seriously. "There is, and always will be, something so much bigger than us out there in the world. Just because I am tall doesn't make me a giant in any respect."

"And yet you are seen among many creatures as giants in your own right. Your legend is just as big and intimidating as ours are," Agaashinyi spoke. "But enough of this philosophy, we have a very important task to perform and a people to get back to."

"I'll protect the the flame," Akio said as he picked up the lantern. "At least in the car it is less likely to go out."

"I've got the weapons," Dean said with his arms full. "You know, just in case my arsenal isn't enough."

"And I have everything to perform the summoning," Sam added and check his collection one last time.

"Then we are ready," Giizis said.

Following the brothers toward the Impala, the spirit birds were silent and watched the brothers intensely as they packed the car, bantered with one another and then fell into their respective places. Akio and Kachi followed and settled into the back seat.

"Give us a minute and we'll find you the best possible route," Giizis spoke as he leaned in the window. "The road will end before we have found an optimal spot but our powers may be able to make it passable."

"We'll start up the mountain and wait for a sign," Dean said with a nod.

"You'll have to go down the mountain a ways before you head north once more. We will navigate for you," Kachi said and leaned forward in his seat.

Enacting the plan the Thunder Birds took to the sky and Dean revved the engine of his beloved Impala. Just as they'd anticipated they drove down the mountain a good ways, almost into the village below and away from the temple. Crossing the river at a well established bridge, they turned to head upward again. Talk in the car was scarce as they watched the trees whip by and the Thunder Birds appeared and disappeared in the sky, until at last the road they'd been traveling on turned into nothing but a single over grown path through dense boreal forest.

"All right, this is getting ridiculous. I'm not pushing my Baby any further," Dean said as the forest began to close in and branches started to scrape and squeal against the body of the car.

"We'll have to hike the rest of the way," Sam said with a nod.

Gathering their things from the trunk, always looking to the sky for the Thunder Birds, they set off into the dense woods until at last they came to a clearing near the edge of the water and where the Birds had returned to their human forms and were building up the pile that would be their sacred fire.

"Ready for a good blaze?" Agaashinyi asked as the cool wind whipped up around them. "The conditions are right for some stormy weather. You'll need the fire for warmth," he added as Akio came forwarded, sheltering the lantern with his body.

"You best work carefully," Kachi spoke to his brother to caution the ignition of the blade. "We have but one single flame."

"That is all it takes," Akio said and knelt down into the shelter of the pile and began the work he had undertaken.

Moments later the flames climbed through the dead wood at a rapid pace, lighting up the clearing, the river and soon the night sky, as the Thunder Birds tossed whole trees onto the pile to feed the fire.

"That outta do it," Dean said as he stepped back and watched the flames lick at the heavens.

"I think it's time to begin," Sam said with a nod and together he and his brother prepared a space for the ritual to begin.


	35. The Sacrificial Rite

Chapter 35: The Sacrificial Rite

"Who will you summon first?" Akio asked as he came closer to the brothers.

"I believe that Hokaru is already very near," Dean answered as the wind moved the evergreens on the edge of the clearing.

"I think the warrior is going to be the biggest problem," Sam added.

"So let's summon the demon, lock him in a good old fashioned devils trap and then get to business."

"You can do that?" A woman's voice was heard on the wind.

"Yes, he's a demon. We can trap him," Dean answered as he looked around him but saw nothing.

"If we make it snow so that you can hold the woman spirit to this place, will that not weaken your devils trap?" Giizis asked.

"It might help us," Dean answered with a mischievous grin as he rummaged through his duffle bag. "Give us a hand," he added and passed a spindle of cable and a large container to his brother.

Together Sam and Dean worked quickly to lay down their plan and then, at last, they turned back to the Thunder Birds.

"Mind covering this up for us?" Dean asked and motioned to the masterpiece.

Taking to the sky the birds flew into the clouds. They rumbled and clashed and all in an instant the heavens opened up and the snow began to fall thick and blinding as those who remained on the ground fed and protected the fire.

"You are certain this will work?" The woman asked as she appeared near the water in the snow as it blew around.

"I'm never one hundred percent sure of anything," Dean confessed. "But it is our best bet."

"I am trusting you to finally end this Dean Winchester," She said.

"I know. Sammy quit staring and get to the summoning."

Acting quickly, Sam chanted as he tossed herbs into the sacred fire, as the thunder rolled through the snow storm.

All at once a creature something like a bear and an ape, crashed through the forest and rushed at the brothers. Its eyes flashed red, its growl was more of a laugh and a whine than a growl, and Kachi cried out that it was indeed the Amanjaku. The demon beast rolled into Sam, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall. Then it pounced on Dean, knocking him back into the snow and rolling him into the trap. Once more it pounced, claws out and thrust them into Dean.

"Light it!" Dean yelled as he struggled with the creature. "Sam!"

"I've got it," Akio cried and pulled a flaming log out of the fire. "Move!" He ordered.

"Just light it!" Dean growled as he fought the demon beast, his clothing torn and bloody from the razor claws.

"You'll be set ablaze as well," Akio stated hesitantly.

"No, I'll be fine!" Dean yelled. "Hokaru." He called and there was desperation in his voice.

"I'll kill you," the woman cried.

The beast cackled and struck again at Dean cutting deep into his chest.

"I trust you!" Dean yelled in pain as the beast dove it's claws into his flesh again. "Light the fire," he cried in pain.

The spirit Hokaru rushed forward and reached out. She touched Dean's face and all at once the cold chill of her touch petrified him; solid as ice and stone. Akio jumped at that moment and the flash of fire engulfed the ground, burnt through the snow at a rapid pace and trapped the Amanjaku in the charred ground. The rushing fire from the scared flame engulfed Dean as well, reviving him from the curse and allowing him time to be extinguished as the demon was caught off guard. Giizis swooped in, in that moment, wrapped his talons around Dean's shoulders, digging them deep into his already open flesh, and with one last ditch effort, flung him into the river. Dean resurfaced coughing but alive and was pulled from the water by Akio and Kachi.

"Stupid move Dean!" Sam scolded as he finally reached his soaking, shivering, brother. "What were you thinking?"

"The demon beast can't tear you apart like a hell hounds if you're frozen solid," Dean responded. "Thank's Hokaru."

"You could have died," the woman stated.

"He very much still may," Akio stated as Dean shivered uncontrollably. "On top of the hypothermia you're torn to shreds."

"But I'm still alive right now," Dean said. "And at least Rei didn't lie about the powers of the sacred fire," he said and shivered. "However, I may still die, as Akio said, of exposure if you don't hurry and get this finished."

"Get him closer to the fire," Sam ordered of the two Garuda.

"What are you going to do?" Agaashinyi asked, he had also appeared again at the sound of the struggle.

"We have the demon trapped. It's time to summon the warrior Akiniko," Sam answered and moved back to the altar like set up he'd been working at. "If you thought that was hard, you haven't seen anything yet," he warned as the demon trapped beside him growled and snarled and laughed at their attempts.


	36. Satan Laughing With Delight

Chapter 36: Satan Laughing With Delight

Dean was wrapped in a think wooden blanket and placed so near the fire that he could have set himself ablaze once again with any false movement, but the curse's chill and the soaking from the plunge was relentless as he shivered through the heat and Kachi tried to help him clean his wounds. Akio stayed closed by as the Thunder Birds moved to flank Sam in his spell work to once and for all summon the warrior who's spirit was tired to their lineage.

"All right, get ready. Kachi you're going to have to read this out for me," Sam said and presented an ancient text to the Garuda.

The summoning for the demon was common enough language as their conversation with Crowley had provided them with names and calling cards for the specific beast but the summoning for the warrior was in an ancient dialect closely tired to the Japanese but completely foreign to the Winchesters.

As Kachi read the text Sam worked quickly and the ancient sacred fire danced and died away and then flared up once more until the flames danced among the clouds. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the warrior materialized in the clearing before them.

Crying out in anger and pain the ghost of the warrior rushed at Sam in attack, knocking the alter and the Garuda away from the summoner.

"You are the reason I'm dead!" the warrior cried as he struck at Sam.

"I didn't know," Sam responded as he ducked and rolled away from the attacking ghost.

"You are the curse on my soul."

"I got you the demon that cursed Koharu," Sam said as the beastly satanic creature chuckled and laughed and stomped at the ground as the ghost rallied and attached Sam again.

"That's enough!" Dean yelled and fired two salt rounds at the warrior.

Unlike most ghosts they'd dealt with the shots did not cause the warrior to dematerialize but rather it was forced back by the blasts. Shocked by the modern weaponry Akiniko hesitated but readied himself to strike again.

"Listen to me," Dean demanded as he reloaded. "We're sorry. We didn't have any say in what happened to you but we are descendants of your family, I guess. And we have brought you here for a reunion and peace." As he spoke the warrior hesitated even further looking around at all the strangers and Dean fired again before he could strike out. "Hokaru, show yourself," Dean demanded and all at once the woman appeared between Dean, Sam and Akiniko.

"You are dead?" Akiniko asked at the sight of his beloved.

"Cursed," She answered. "By that beast, just there. I've been trying to find you for centuries and these men have finally help me."

"How do you break the curse?" Akiniko asked in anger.

"I do not know," Hokaru answered and turned in anger toward Sam and Dean. "How do you break it?" She demanded as the winds began to whip around her. "Have you tricked me as well?"

"Kill the demon. Break the hell bond! Then we'll summon a reaper to take you away," Akio said as he jumped into action.

"How do you kill a demon?" Akiniko asked.

"With this," Sam said and held out their demon knife. "Take it and free her from her captivity."

The ghost of the warrior reached out and took the knife as if he were flesh before them and then without hesitation he attached. The snarling laughter of the hell beast subsided to screeching whimpers and then a great burst of flames melted the creature to dust. All in an instant the snow stopped but the thunder continued to roll in the heavens and Hokaru stood in a form unlike her previous ghostly appearance but whole and lovely.

"Is it done?" Akiniko asked as the two Garuda changed forms and flew up into the heavens.

"Come to me," Hokaru called to him and, dropping the knife, Akiniko rushed to her and embraced her.

"Love, even in death," Dean said and shivered.

"Go back to the fire Dean Winchester and rest," Agaashinyi ordered as the clouds above were parted and the stars of the heavens were seen.

The Garudas returned from their flight and a monk dressed in traditional clothing appeared before the warrior and his bride.

"It is time Akiniko, Hokaru, for you to join the ancestors on the celestial plane," the monk said, reached out his hands and without hesitation the two ghosts took them and dematerialized into light fragments that rose into the sky.

"It is done," Giizis said to his brother and together they took to the sky once more. The cold wind changed its course and a warm hot rain poured down on them.

"Great, more rain. Just what I need right now," Dean grumbled and clenched his sides in pain.

"Take him back to the temple and rest. Dress his wounds and pray for healing. We will clean this up for you," Kachi vowed and Akio nodded. "You deserve some of your own peace tonight."


	37. Met A Girl Who Sang The Blues

Chapter 37: Met A Girl Who Sang The Blues

Sam did as he was told and hoisted his brother up as best as he could and dragged him back through the forest to where they'd left the car.

"I think you'd better drive Sammy," Dean joked through his pain.

"You're about to pass out, of course I'm driving," Sam grumbled.

"Lighten up Sammy, we got the job done. One more to go!"

"Why are we even doing it anymore?" He asked as he pushed Dean into the back seat.

"Because that's the job Sam," Dean said and groaned in pain as he laid on the bench seat, his legs still hanging out the door as Sam tried to help his brother while trying to jam all that dead weight into the car. "Yup, you're right, I'm gonna black out now. Pray for Cas, maybe he can fix it," Dean added as the one door slammed and moments later the next opened but he fell unconscious.

"Dean?" Sam called back to him as he fell into the driver's seat and revved the engine. "Dean can you hear me?" He called again and then looked over his shoulder. "Damnit!" He cursed and maneuvering as gingerly as he could, knowing full well that Dean would kill him if he scratched up the car.

Sam made his way, in reverse, back down the mountain path until it widened enough for him to turn the car around and descend at a much quicker pace.

They arrived at the temple and found it deserted and once again Sam pulled his brother out of the car. "Come on Dean, wake up."

"No Sam," Dean grumbled but was alert enough because of the pain of being moved that he wasn't completely dead weight for his brother to carry up the temple stairs.

"What happened?" Rei asked when the brothers made it to the top of the stairs and found her there waiting in the darkness.

"The demon attacked me," Dean answered.

"And Hokaru froze him, the fire thawed him and a thunder bird dumped him in the river to put out the fire," Sam carried on.

"Come, let's get you both inside."

"Just pray for the angel and I'll be fine," Dean protested still incapable of trusting Rei, or holding himself upright.

"We will, but what if he doesn't answer?" Rei asked. "We need to get you warm and dry before the shock sets in and the best place for you, to cure cursed cold is by the sacred fire."

"And stop the bleeding," Sam added.

"Sammy I've been torn apart by hell hounds. This isn't that bad," Dean protested valiantly but it was clear he was lying.

"Whatever, just get inside," Sam said and dragged his brother along as he followed Rei's directions.

"I'll tend to him," Rei said as they settled Dean down before the sacred fire. "You go and try to find the angel he's asking for."

"Thank you," Same said and rushed away.

"I'll be fine," Dean shivered as he protested her assistance.

"I understand that you are angry and that the trust between us is broken but I am trying to help you and these wet, bloody, cloths are not helping," Rei was stern in her speech as she tried to removed the layers of shredded fabric that Dean attempted to cling to. "Tell me about the hell hounds," she said to change the subject.

"What is there to tell? It's what happens when you make a deal with the devil," Dean said as his teeth chattered, "or rather it's what happens when you sell your soul. What did you do to get tangled up with demons?"

"Why would you make a deal like that?" She asked but ignored his question. "I assume that you, as a hunter and a warrior, would throw yourself into situations to save people from the attacks of such things but why make a deal?" She asked and pressed hot, clean, strips of clothe to the wounds on his chest.

"I made the deal to save Sam's life," Dean responded.

"The nobility of the idea was such an important part of your creation though we knew that some would take advantage of that. It was a concern brought up in our making but the clause in the ideas and the need to help others was determined by God. He said that the flaws were what would make you perfect. I don't think I ever understood that until today," She confessed.

"I'm far from perfect," Dean said as he flinched in pain.

"That is, I suppose, how you are meant to see it," She said apologetically.

"I've made so many stupid mistakes, in the spur of the moment. So many split second decisions that I seem to be flying by the seat of my pants most of the time," he said. "But I guess everything has worked out in some way, as God's plan."

"I'm sorry I deceived you about Hokaru," Rei said and lowered her eyes. "I should have know that you were made the way you were to help regardless of the situation."

"I accept your apology and I'm sorry that I didn't confront you to your face. I have a bad habit of trying to prove people wrong," he said and half a smile appeared on his tormented face. "Thank you for your help."

"You are welcome Dean Winchester," she said but there was a sadness about her.

"Don't worry, you're not the worst witch I've ever met. Those ones ended up dead before I left a place," he added jokingly to try and cheer her up but it seemed to make her even sadder.

"When does it stop bothering you that you've take a life?" She asked and the question hit Dean and shook him more then the demon attack had.

"It doesn't," he answered. "People believe that because we do it so often that it gets easier but really, even if the creature is a monster or dead by the standards of this realm and our knowledge, it's still killing in a way. You can tell yourself it's for the greater good and you can justify it by saying it's self defence, or that you've freed a poor soul from captivity, but it's still killing and it does something to you. You keep going and only at the end of the line, whatever and whenever that is, will you find out what it has really done."

"It put a spot on your heart that if left alone can become a plague," she said.

"You've had to kill often?" he asked.

"I spent much of my life looking for ways not to but I have coerced others into doing it for me and I feel like that is twice as bad. You asked me why I made a deal with a demon, but the truth is I didn't. I needed the essence of the warrior, whatever little wisp that was, and I brought the rich man with eyes for Hokaru to a place where he could make his deals and I would get what I wanted, what I had been commissioned with finding," She explained. "So because I deceive more than I am truthful, I do not believe I will find peace when my time does end and I am all right with that. The Garuda know not of how bad I have been and I hope to keep as much from them as I can, though they know now that I am a liar."

"That is something you will have to take up with them and deal with on your own," Dean spoke in a way that spoke to his displeasure but also that there was something like sympathy for the woman before him.

"And aside for this injury, how did things work out?" She asked to change the subject and then she was satisfied with the cleaning of his wounds.

"Akiniko and Hokaru have been reunited and they have passed on with the help of the reaper tied to their souls. They are with death now and he will deal with what is to come for them. I can only hope that now that they are both free they can be together in death. The demon beast is also dead," Dean explained.

"And I will deal with the corrupt master who cursed Hokaru. That is my burden to bare," she said.

"Is he still alive?" Dean asked.

"No but his soul is neither at rest or tormented in the afterlife. He is bound to the home and belongings he so greedily gathered for himself. When I return to my homeland, after I have finished what I have vowed to finish here, I will return to that place and deal with the spirit," She explained.

"Good, thank you," Dean said as his brother and the angel finally returned. "Rei this is Castiel," he said happy to see their friend and feeling the weakness of his blood loss.

"You look terrible Dean," Cas said with a slight bow to the woman and then healed Dean with a touch. "Why are you so cold?" He asked in shock at the chill that was emitted from Dean's body.

"It's a long story Cas and had to do with a curse. Will I ever warm up again?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Cas answered and touched his forehead once more. "But it may take some time."


	38. Some Happy News

Chapter 38: Some Happy News

Once the healing had occurred and the darkness of the night made way to early morning, Sam and Dean finally retired to the room's they'd been given and Castiel stayed watchful until the sun rose. The Garuda also returned to the temple and took up a place, perched in a tree, near where the brothers slept and the Thunder Birds stood guard at the temple gate with eyes fixed on the heavens.

Everything was quiet and peaceful and the day dawned bright and warm, and a sense of tension and struggle was lifted from the place.

Sam woke before Dean but still much later than he would have liked and as he exited the room he was surprised to see the place practically deserted still. He moved out of the building toward the main temple and found Castiel seated under a tree with the two Garuda and two Thunder Birds.

"What's up guys?" He asked as he approached.

"Comparing notes," Akio answered and grinned. "I rather like your Angel friend. We have a lot in common."

"Spirits of the heavens," Cas added. "Sometimes it is easy to forget that in creation there are so many different kinds of celestial beings. When the isolation of my kind sets in I think I will like to think of the Thunder Birds and the Garuda and all other beings that were created to watch over the heavens and the peoples of their beliefs and cultures."

"Well put Castiel," Giizis said with a nod. "For we all share something akin to guardianship over the people of this land, though some believe in us and some do not. And our companion humans have taught us a lot about the earth. Sometimes we are all together too haughty to realize our part in creation."

"I agree," Kachi said. "And there is always enlightenment to be sought and found for all beings no matter their status or highness of realm."

"Well I'm glad to see you so happy with your winged friends. Has anyone seen Dean?" Sam asked prepared to leave the beings to their meeting.

"He's not yet risen but Rei is in the temple communicating through the fire," Akio answered.

"Did she speak with you?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"We had words late in the evening when we returned from the mountain but we are not yet convinced that we should stay with her or go back to our homeland," Kachi answered. "There has been a breach of our trust and we need to decide as siblings if it is our place to stay and try to rebuild or if we should return to our home for a time to seek out new companionship."

"I'm sure you will make the right decision, whatever that might be for you. Will you still join us in Kansas?" Sam asked.

"We will be sure that Rei keeps her word to you," Akio answered.

"And we will travel, when we are certain that you and Dean have made your departure in safety from this place. We will join Aiyanna as she travels and we will follow the path that she chooses," Agaashinyi jumped in.

"I'm sure Dean and I will be off as soon as he wakes up. He's not one to be sentimental and it's going to be a very long drive for him to clear his mind and prepared for the next challenge," Sam said with a laugh.

"We will likely beat you to our final destination but Castiel tells of your great library and we know that Aiyanna would love to see it. We may stop in Lebanon before moving on to the shack," Giizis spoke thoughtfully. "Castiel has promised to meet us there."

"It is the least I can do," Cas said with a nod of his head. "They have taken very good care of you in my absence."

"Yeah, go for it. Just don't tell Dean. You know how he can get about the super secret bat cave that's not really a secret anymore," Sam commented. "And watch out for the alarm system. Not sure if the Bunker is warded against Garuda or Thunder Birds but it may try to expel you if it is."

"A cave with a mind of its own?" Kachi asked. "And you live in it?"

"It's supposed to be the safest place on earth with the largest collection of research and lore on the supernatural in existence. It's well protected and when your name is Winchester you kind of need that level of security. We don't normally make very good impressions on the supernatural beings we come into contact with," Sam explained.

"And it's not actually a cave. It was man made," Cas added. "Dean prefers to talk in the popular vernacular. I believe the Bat Cave is a reference from popular culture."

"Yes it is," Sam laughed.

"I supposed one must find joy somewhere," Akio commented.

"Yes, my brother is a bit of a nerd, though he'll deny it vehemently ," Sam said. "But thank you all for your help and enjoy the Bunker while you wait."

"You don't think you will need our held with the last witch?" Kachi asked. "Because we could travel with you and lend a hand."

"No. We know Rowena rather well. We'll know how to deal with her when we find her."

"She is in Boca Raton, Florida. She is courting a wealthy real estate agent," Rei said as she approached them. She'd been silent in her movements and none of the companions had heard her approach until she made herself known to them. "Here, I have an address and I will pack some food for the journey. Your brother is the restless one, I believe, and will wish to get on the road to complete your journey," She continued and handed Sam a slip of paper. "I am sorry you will not stay to calm your soul but I understand your haste in leaving."

"It's probably for the best," Sam said by way of thanking her.

"You should wake him or risk his wrath," She added and passed them by to carry on with what she had promised.

"She's not wrong. I should get moving," Sam said to the celestial beings and though this was a happy interlude he knew he had to carry on to more pressing things.


	39. To The Sacred Store

Chapter 39: To The Sacred Store

As anticipated, once Dean was awake, it wasn't long before they bid farewell to the celestial companions and hit the road. Rei watched from the top of the temple stairs, she didn't wave or move, but remained there as the car was packed and the engine roared to life. And as quickly as they had arrived they were gone again.

It was several hours before Dean spoke to his brother with any seriousness.

"We need to gas up and I could use a coffee or an energy drink," he said as the morning sun passed into the evening sky and was finally behind them. "We got a late start so now we're making up ground."

"We're not going to make the drive in two days," Sam said dismissively.

"Two and a half tops," Dean countered. "I want an eighteen hour drive today."

"Then yeah, you should stop at the next Gas and Sip," Sam said dismissively and unwilling, at this time, to protest his brother's insane plan.

"The one sacred place we visit more often than any church or place of worship. The road side stop is my place of refuge. Ever just sit and appreciate that they are there?" Dean asked.

"In a world of fuel economy and the coming auto apocalypse of the electric cars? No, I can't say that I have ever stopped to appreciate the gas station and convenient store but you're right, we do spend more time in those than we do in the Bunker. You can even argue that we spent more time in them, even when we spent time at Bobby's. I guess that's just life on the road and when you live in the car those are the places that treat her right."

"Amen to that Sammy," Dean said and smiled. "The only place we've spent more time is in this American made beauty. She's been through it all with us and we will save her from that apocalypse you alluded to."

"Home on four wheels since we were kids," Sam added and nodded. "They really don't make them like her anymore.

"No they do not," Dean shook his head. "You ever think Chuck will make men like us again?" Dean asked after another long silence. "I mean, if what the witches have said is true, they haven't been summoned to do what they did to make us. It makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"I don't know if I like the idea that much," Sam answered. "I don't want to be an old man doing this job. I don't want to be pulled from hell, or revived for longer than is natural. I mean I know there is no out of the life, no retirement, but I hope he has a plan to have some one take over for us at some point."

"Yeah, I agree. I don't think I'll give up either. I might slow down but this is how we'll die. Like Bobby and Rufus and Dad. We'll die hunters when Chuck is ready to let us go but it also makes you wonder if this Winchester legacy dies with us."

"Like I've said before, we've both been irresponsible enough in our live to say that the bloodline is likely fine, but those kids haven't grown up in this life. A part of me is happy that that is the case but I know the trauma that will pull them back into it, so on the same wave I wonder if we should be a little more responsible. I mean, where's the fun in that, but yeah..."

"I think I'd prefer to end the cycle if I had any say in it," Dean said as he spotted a Gas and Sip on the horizon. "But you're probably right, knowing what we know about all the things that had to fall into place for us to be the hunters that we are. There are probably some kind of catastrophic events that would pull our kids in because that is Chuck's plan."

"So what do we do about it?" Sam asked as they stopped.

"One thing at a time Sammy. We'll worry about the kids later, for now we have an ancient child to deal with in Rowena and a drive all the way across the country to get to her. And the only way I'm going to make it is on hot coffee and my Baby needs fuel," Dean said and quickly exited the vehicle. "You fill her up, I'll get road snacks. What do you want?"

"Coffee," Sam answered shortly.

"Triple red eye, coming right up!" Dean said cheerfully and rushed away.

Twenty minutes later, because Dean needed to flirt with the sales attendant, having pushed the whole irresponsible chat out of his mind, they were back on the road and heading east.

Instead of picking up the conversation once more Sam riffled through the cassette collection and turned up the rock to keep them both awake at least for a little while longer.


	40. I'd Heard The Music

Chapter 40: I'd Heard The Music

It was deep into darkness before Sam spoke again. He'd let the music lull his brother into a sense of calm. Sam knew that Dean had gotten to that point because he'd begun to sing along absentmindedly to whatever song played; knowing them all word for word from memory.

Sam knew that in these moments his brother was the happiest, just driving the beautiful car he'd inherited and babied like a doting parent, but it wasn't just that, Dean took great pride in this car because he'd been through so much with her, built her and rebuilt her. He'd spent hour searching for original parts, the perfect tires and identical leather fabric to reupholster everything when things went south. The shelves in the Bunker garage were filled with these items for just the time when he'd need them. Dean had learned the mechanics of it from his father but everything else, the painting, the stitching, the fine tuning of every part, that was his labour of love and the reward was the drive.

Happiness was such a rare things for either brother that when it happened they tended to revel in it, and so Sam just let Dean drive and sing as the sun set behind them. At last, and after another long stretch of rural highway, Sam turned around in his seat, grabbed his nap sack off the back seat behind his brother, and turned to watch the road.

"So, do you wanna hunt while we're in Boca?" Sam asked dismissively as he searched through his laptop.

"Wasting you data Sammy?" Dean asked in response.

"Am I wasting it when it's paid for by a fraudulent credit card?" He asked rhetorically.

"Give 'er little brother," Dean laughed, his response joyful.

"So, do you want to hunt in Boca or not?" Sam asked again as his brother settled into the groove of his music once more.

"I'm always up for a hunt but what could you possibly find for us in a retirement, slow paced, place like Boca Raton?"

"I hope a ghost or a haunting of some kind just so we can play that angle when we happen to run into Rowena. Better for her to think we're working, rather than looking for her."

"Smart, and you're right, retired people like to dwell on their pasts and die, so hauntings are likely," Dean said morbidly. "But if I know Rowena, and I feel like I do, she'll be suspicious no matter what we do."

"Of course she will, but it's at least a potential excuse."

"True. Sure, find whatever you can but keep us clear of witches. We have enough on our plate with Rowena. I don't want to spook her with other witches, nor do I want to deal with any more of them after this for a good long while."

"I've had enough of witches for a while," Sam said entranced by the screen before him.

"Anything else thought, I'm good with, but if you can make it a milk run, we've been through enough and I don't want to end up tossed by Thunder Birds anymore this week, or ever for that matter."

"They went back to Aiyanna," Sam commented dismissively.

"Sure but Giizis gave me his cell number in the event we ran into trouble. He also warned me about global warming. He's very passionate and the Atlantic Hurricane season is starting," Dean spoke to inform his brother but more so because the communication from the celestial being was odd and he wanted to feel his brother out with the information.

"What's weirder, a Thunder Bird with a smart phone or one that has a global interest?" Sam asked.

"I was weirded out that he wanted to talk, everything else just kind fell into the 'what the hell is going on' category for me," Dean confessed.

"You made a friend!" Sam chuckled.

"Not a bad friend to have, in my humble opinion," Dean said with a nod and then after a long silence between them he asked. "What's the forecast for Florida?"

"There aren't any hurricanes coming at this time, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, just wondering. I mean, if it's nice, we could skip the hunt all together and hit the beach."

"Now that would really make Rowena suspicious."

"True, we're not really the vacation types and it's not spring break," Dean said and sighed.

"And you're getting too old for the spring break crowd," Sam warned.

"Sammy, why do you have to be so mean to me?" Dean asked playfully.

"I'm just trying to keep you away from the underaged crowd and off the sex offenders lists. We've got enough trouble to deal with. We don't need that as well."

"Good call. Some of them look so much older these days. Yeah, spring break shouldn't be my scene but I'm sure there are people our age that do still party in Florida. We need to find that crowd."

"Sure, just not at the college spring break parties," Sam said.

"This is why I don't vacation; can't get in trouble."

Another hour or so spent in silence with one another and the tape in the cassette deck was changed out before Sam spoke again.

"Should we think about stopping for a break?" He asked as his brother yawned.

"I could use a couple of hours," Dean agreed. "Next rest stop you see we'll call it a night but we're bunking down in the car tonight."

"I figured as much and I think I found us a case," Sam added to keep his brother alert.

"An old hacienda style house that has had a string of bad luck and that has been on and off the market for years. Local legend has it haunted and couples end up dead. Sounds like just our sort of thing."

"No time line?" Dean asked.

"Not that I have seen."

"Well I guess you've got a whole day of driving tomorrow to figure it out Sammy," Dean said cheerfully.

"Sure. Rest stop, fifteen miles," Sam added as he motioned to a sign they blew past.

"Perfect. We'll call it a day."


	41. The Music Wouldn't Play

Chapter 41: The Music Wouldn't Play

It was dawn, or maybe just beginning, when Dean woke up, stretched and took in a deep breath of the cool morning air. When he said he only needed a couple of hours of sleep he knew what he was talking about, and before he'd even fully blinked the sleep out of his eyes he was back in the driver's seat and easing the Impala back onto the interstate.

His elder brother instincts hit him hard as the car engine roared to life and the music caught him off guard as he spun the dial down to let Sam sleep, and so he put several miles behind him while his brother slept crammed into the back seat.

It was in these silent moments when the music didn't play, and Dean instinctively checked his rear view mirror more often then usual, that he felt like he was most alert. He was there in that car to protect his brother. He was there on the road to protect mankind. And it was there in the silence that he generally came to terms with everything life threw at him. Truth be told, Dean Winchester had come to believe in fate, though he would deny it vehemently to anyone who asked and chose to see the choice in it and hoped in the fate he'd been dealt. At some point in his life, as long as it had been, surprisingly, and as short as it was in the grand scheme, Dean had come to see and understand the value of the Winchesters. And knowing what that value was to Chuck and creation, Dean began to wonder what would be the new plan for the dolls in a lock box, warded against all evil, in the trunk of the car. What was the plan now that destroying them was out of the question? What really was the point of it all now that they had decided to save them?

The sun was well in the sky when Dean finally heard his brother stir in the back seat. "Rise and Shine Sammy!" He called out joyfully and just to be a dick he cranked the radio.

"Where are we?" Sam asked.

"About four hours out of the last rest stop," Dean answered.

"Out of where?" Sam asked groggily.

"Out of where we hunkered down for the night."

"Pull over will you?" Sam asked as he struggled to sit up in the back seat.

"We're making good time," Dean protested.

"I just need to stretch," Sam grumbled. "And... you know."

Obliging, Dean pulled over the next chance he got and after a short stretch himself, Sam leaned on the car and watched his brother across it.

"Did you sleep at all?" He asked.

"Sure, couple hours," Dean answered dismissively.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sam asked.

"Because when I hit the wall I'm going to need you to keep driving. We don't need to waste any time and if we can make it up somewhere along the way then maybe, just maybe, it won't take us four days to get there."

"So what, you want to drive twenty hour today?" Sam asked and there was protest in his tone.

"Straight through if we can help it, or set a lofty goal and find us a place to stay over night."

"We just drove eighteen hours yesterday," Sam protested.

"And if we can get in eighteen to twenty today, we'd make tomorrow in ten or so and you can sleep in a motel, for well, I'm willing to give you eight whole hours. But I need a good days worth of driving today."

"Fine," Sam said and fell into the car. "But find coffee soon."

"That'a boy!" Dean said cheerfully and fell into the car as well.

Carrying on, much in the same way as the day before, with short stops at gas stations and rolling through small towns, Sam and Dean took turns driving and dozing. When Sam wasn't driving he was researching and the small talk, paired with classic rock and the odd stretch in total silence, made up their day as they made their way east and at last at nearly two in the morning they reached their stop and fell into the motel beds without much thought of anything else.

Sleeping late, or late by Dean's road standards they showered, found a diner and sat down to breakfast before hitting the road again.

"Well, we should make Boca by about ten or eleven tonight and we'll be able to hit the ground running tomorrow morning," Sam said when their food arrived.

"What's the plan?" Dean asked.

"I think we talk to the realtor trying to sell the house."

"Oh right, the hunt. I meant Rowena," Dean said with his mouth full.

"Well didn't Rei say that Rowena was looking to seduce a realtor?" Sam asked.

"Is it the same one?" Dean followed up with another question.

"Could we get that lucky?" Sam questioned sceptically with a roll of his eyes.

"Absolutely not," Dean answered with a laugh. "Then again, things seem to fallen at our feet with these witches."

"Yeah, true, but we know Rowena. She sees us and there will be drama, no questions asked," Sam countered.

"So what, you think it would be better to just bombard her or make our presence known and flush her out?" Dean asked.

"Neither," Sam sighed. "But we'll have to do something. Maybe she'll see us as competition."

"Competition to what?" Dean asked and there was something like disgust in his tone.

"Competition to push away this realtor she's after, or the market, or who knows," Sam back peddled.

"Fricken witches Sammy! Why do they always have to be so complicated?"

"Everything we do is complicated. Witches just seem to compound the drama," Sam said with a chuckle as he dropped his cutlery. "But we have another ten hours of driving ahead of us so we had better hit the road."

"Let me finished this perfectly cooked, maple glazed, bacon and we can go."

"You and your bacon," Sam said and shook his head.

"Maple glazed!" Dean repeated himself for effect and waved a piece at his brother before he chomped down on it.

"You're such a child sometimes," Sam said and sipped at his lukewarm coffee.

"Hey I have a new outlook on life. If we are so important in the grand scheme of things and Chuck is determined to keep having us cheat death then really what does that mean in years for us? We're just babies compared to the universe so why not enjoy the finer things?"

"Like maple glazed bacon?" Sam asked sceptically.

"Yes. Maple Glazed Bacon!" Dean said. "It's practically candy. Eat the bacon Sammy!"

"Fine," he said and snatched a piece right off of his brothers plate.

"Hey no!" Dean cried out but it was too late.

"Yeah, it's not bad," Sam said when he'd finished.

"Not bad? I seriously don't know you," Dean said and sheltered his plate to protect it from his brother. "He didn't mean that. You're amazing, and wonderful, and everything good in this world," he said to his plate.

"And you are slowly losing your sanity."

"Oh Sam, I lost it a long time ago. A long, long time ago," Dean sang.

"Finish your breakfast so we can hit the road," Sam ordered and shook his head.

Minutes later they'd paid for their meal, hit up a gas station and the Impala roared out of the small town on the last leg of the journey to Boca Raton.


	42. In The Streets The Children Screamed

Chapter 42: In The Streets The Children Screamed

As predicted and under the deep cover of darkness, Sam and Dean rolled into town and found the cheapest motel with any vacancy that would still let them in at the late hour. It was way fancier than they were used to, and severely outdated, but as soon as they found their room and locked the door behind them they were out for the night.

By morning it was business as usual. Sam woke first this time, showered, dressed in his best cheep suit and got to work as he waited for his brother.

Even with all of the movement, fourthy-eight hours on the road has gotten to Dean and he didn't wake up until Sam kicked his bed.

"Can we get to work or are you going to sleep all day?" Sam asked when Dean looked at him groggily.

"Find something?" Dean asked as he rolled out of bed and stumbled to the washroom.

"Well if you want to hunt ghosts I've got you a ghost," Sam answered when Dean finally reemerge from the washroom having showered and shaved.

"If that's the case why are you FBI this morning?" Dean asked as he pulled cloths from his duffle.

"We need to get into the house and the only way to do that on a busy weekday when they're having an open house is to shut it down and take it for our own purposes," Sam answered.

"Nice," Dean was excited by the prospects.

"Before we do that though we should stop by and talk to the local authorities, just in case the realtors call them and make a stink. The most recent set of deaths in that house were a week ago."

"I'm down for just about anything but first breakfast. Please say we can get breakfast," Dean pleaded.

"Yeah, sure, let's go," Sam answered and watched Dean tie his tie.

"Great and how about Rowena?"

"Aside for the address that Rei gave us and the realtor's name, we have a potential idea of where she might be."

"So you wanna just roll over there and knock on her door?"

"We should stake it out once we have a handle on our ghost. I think I know who it was too," Sam added.

"Do tell Sammy,". Dean was are too cheerful for his own good.

"Ever hear of Collin MacFay?" Sam asked.

"You mean the Florida Shark?" Dean asked excitedly as he plopped himself down in the seat next to his brother. "He was convicted of murdering eight couples, keeping their heads and tossing the bodies to the sharks. He died in prison eight years ago; heart attack from what I've heard."

"You and your love of serial killers. It can't be healthy Dean!" Sam responded.

"Sam, they found the heads in the basement of the house in giant pickle jars of formaldehyde. At the trial he said he only killed about once a year because that's how long it took to eat two of those giant jars of pickles. No remorse! He was like, well I guess I have to fill these jars with heads!" Dean prattled on about the grizzly details of the murder trial. "I guess that makes sense if couples are dying...oh my Chuck, is that the house?"

"Yes."

"Oh wow," Dean said and stood again. "Oh Sam, I need this!" He added. "Let's go."

"All right, let's go," Sam laughed and followed his brother out.

After a quick, but hearty, breakfast they stopped at the local police department and found it situated in the kind of neighbourhood where children screamed and played in the streets. Officers patrolled on foot and street sports popped up and were called off on account of cars. The playground across from the station was packed with children and people called and greeted one another but stopped to stare leerily at the strangers as they pulled up to the building.

"Where everybody knows your name," Dean said as they climbed the steps to the building.

"You're here about the murder house, aren't you?" The desk sergeant asked as soon as she saw them in the doorway and waved them to the desk before her.

"Yes ma'am," Dean said and smiled.

"You might have to fight Marco Somerset for it," She said as she checked their ID and then handed them the file; thick as a brick.

"Who is Marco Somerset?" Sam asked.

"The realtor who gets on everyone's case when a new case pops up. He's determined to sell that house to the perfect paranormalists. He seems to think a murder house is just their type if thing. Except people keep dying on him," she explained.

"Is he a suspect?" Dean asked.

"He's been investigated eight ways from Sunday but he's always got an air tight alibi. He swears it's the ghost of Collin MacFay but there's no such thing as ghosts so he's clearly as loony as the people he's trying to sell to."

"True, loony," Dean said and shook his head.

"How were the latest victims decapitated?" Sam asked as he looked up from the file.

"Axe."

"Do you have the axe?"

"We have the axe," she answered with a nod.

"Can we see the axe?" Dean asked.

"Right this way gentlemen," She said and stepped out from behind the desk.

In the evidence room every box was pulled down from the shelves as they pertained to the murders, starting with the last one to be investigated.

"What about the stuff for the MacFay case?" Dean asked as Sam rummaged.

"Those are long gone Agent. You people should have it all locked up in Virginia somewhere," the sergeant said.

"Right yeah, probably locked away like relics at Quantico now," Dean said disheartened. "Or making their way into someone's sick idea of a research museum."

"What have we come to?" She asked.

"We'll turn anything into a circus attraction," Dean said trying to sound disgusted and shaking his head. "And so, because that case was closed years ago there is no connection between these deaths and the crimes of MacFay?" He asked.

"None of these deaths happened in the same way MacFay killed," Sam answered while the desk sergeant looked at Dean suspiciously.

"No, most of them seem to die of fright. These last ones are definitely a murder we just don't have any suspects," She continued for Sam.

"The axe looks relatively new. Have you tried to trace that?" Sam asked as he handled the instrument wrapped and sealed in plastic.

"As far as we can tell it was used by some firefighters to get into the house because of a fire call two days before the house was handed over to the new owners. We don't know how it got left behind but that's what killed Mr and Mrs Brown."

"What was the cause of the fire?" Sam asked.

"Arson, from what we can tell. Someone broke in and performed some kind of ritual. The fire fighters found symbols and candles that someone had left burning in the house. The fire was contained to a small rug. The neighbours across the street saw the glowing in the abandoned building and called in the fire department and police but no one we talked to saw anything and trust me we see everything now."

"I guess that's what happens when once you've been shaken by the likes of MacFay. Better to be in everyone business then to be fooled by that kind of evil ever again," Dean said.

"Exactly," She responded with a nod.

"Can we take this?" Sam asked and picked up the file again.

"Return it," She warned but nodded her approval.

"Thank you," Dean said as Sam snapped some photos of the evidence.

"Do I need to show you boys out or can we call it a day and I'll head back to my post?" She asked.

"We'll be fine showing ourselves out," Sam said and smiled.

"I hope you two can pin this one Marco, he's disgusting and that house should have been left to burn down to the ground," the sergeant said before she left them alone.

"After the first couple of deaths you would think he would let the house go," Sam said absentmindedly.

"After it was determined to be a murder house it should have never been sold again," Dean commented. "Ready to go check it out?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure," Sam said but there was something in his tone that told his brother that his mind was elsewhere.

"What is it Sammy?"

"This," Sam answered and started spreading out the fire photos that were included in the house file.

"That's a ritual all right," Dean said at a glance.

"It's witch craft," Sam corrected, "and if knowledge severs me correctly, it looks like it could have been a spell for cleansing. I can't be sure but that's what it looks like."

"Nerd!" Dean huffed. "I said no more witches Sammy."

"Dean it happened only days before the last couple died," Sam said.

"So if it was for cleansing it didn't work and they got that cleaned up really quickly," Dean said and looked again. "Cause there's another open house today."

"Not the point Dean," Sam huffed. "We're dealing with a witch, or someone trying to be a witch. What are the chances it was Rowena?"

"Slim. We're not that lucky," Dean said and threw up his hands. "Why more witches?"

"I figured it was just a milk run myself," Sam confessed. "But this is going to be more complicated than that."

"Come on, we need to deal with this now," Dean said and together he and his brother left the precinct waving to the desk sergeant as the went.


	43. The Lovers Cried

_**FYI: There will not be an update next week. I'm participating in Gish this week so all my creativity is going into that!**_

Chapter 43: The Lovers Cried

The house in question was located in yet another well to do neighbourhood and people came and went without much notice of each other but as Dean drove around the block a second time the couples who strolled along stopped and stared. The children became quiet and watched them with suspicion, enough that when they got out of the car and flashed their badges people whispered and moved along.

"Too many eyes around here Sammy," Dean said as he finally parked, almost a block away from the house and flashed his badge at the couple who stopped next to him and began peering into his car. He chuckled as the woman gasped and cried out to her partner about the FBI and they took off at a much faster pace. "What is with all these people?" He asked as he finally rejoined his brother on the street.

"Seems like a nice enough neighbourhood," Sam commented as they walked.

"Sure. Nice. Great school district. But there just happen to be a murder house for sale right in the middle of it," Dean spoke sarcastically.

"Lots of people out for the open house thought. It's going to be hard to investigate it," Sam said.

"I agree. Maybe we head right to the source, have him shut it down and then start. Nice and quiet, just chase all the people away."

"If he'll hand it over," Sam said and rolled his eyes.

"Follow my lead," Dean said as they walked up the steps in the crowd of people and stopped in shock by the real estate agent at the door.

"Winchester!" Rowena gasped at the sight of them. "What in God's name are you doing here? No, let me guess, you followed the ghost stories. Well let me tell you, I have it covered and under control. You two can vamoose!"

"Was the fire you Rowena?" Sam asked.

"It was, but it would have worked had I not been spotted by the bloody neighbours."

"Forgot your blazer?" Dean asked with a laugh to mock. "What the hell is this?" He asked and motioned to her get up.

"I'm working," She said through gritted teeth.

"Like actually working?" Sam asked.

"Yes, if you must know and this house is a big ticket. I could get half the commission on this place if people would just stop dying in it!"

"It's a murder house, why would people want it?" Sam asked.

"You'd be surprised Samuel. People love a house with character," She answered saucily.

"And with walls full of charms and hex-bags to keep the baddies away?" Dean asked skeptically. "Well we're here now so let us handle the ghost and you'll owe us one," he added.

"Owe you?" She gasped and fell silent.

"Hello gentlemen, I see you've met my number one seller Rochelle MacLeod. She's got you covered," Marco Somerset said as he flashed his million dollar smile and wrapped his arm around Rowena's shoulder. "She's the best," he added and winked as she flinched at his touch. "And this neighbourhood is so open to all kinds of couples. Why I live just down the street with my partner of thirteen years, isn't that right Ro?"

"These two aren't in the market," Rowena said and lowered her eyes.

"No, we're FBI and this is still an active crime scene," Dean said and they watched the man's face drop.

"We're here to investigate the Brown murders and the Morgan murders and the Anthean murders," Sam added loudly as people came up the steps behind him and then turned and left at the mention of murder.

"They couldn't determine if any of those deaths were murders."

"The last two were decapitated with an axe. How do you not call that murder? They certainly didn't both just fall on the axe," Dean spoke sarcastically. "We're going to need you to shut this down until further notice. Also, the arson case isn't resolved as of yet so you are breaking the law by even being here."

"You should do as they say, they are the Feds," Rowena spoke before the man could protest further. "I'll keep an eye on them, answer all their questions and get us back on track with this house. We will sell it," she vowed.

"Fine but am I under suspicion?" He asked defensively.

"Should you be?" Dean asked just a defensively.

"No," Marco responded.

"We are not at liberty to discuss the particulars of our ongoing federal investigation. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the FBI and speak with our assistant director," Sam switched to his professional tone, full of suspicion and threatening as he handed a business card to the man before him. "If we have any questions that Miss MacLeod cannot answer then we expect for you remain available for further questioning. You said you lived just down the street? What is the address?" He continued as he pulled a small note pad from his pocket and started jotting things down.

"Blue eyes, brown hair, about six foot two," Dean said and leaned in. "You said you lived with your partner? His name was what?" He asked.

"Rochelle will give you all the particulars. I'll clear the house," the man spoke nervously to escape the men he believed to be legitimate.

"What are you thinking?" Rowena cried as they were once again left alone. "I'm not causing any trouble. Just let me settle this."

"We'll give the house back Rowena. We just need to deal with the ghost first. Too many people have died here," Dean said dismissively.

"What game are you really playing Rowena?" Sam asked.

"A girl has to live and well cat-fishing wasn't exactly working so I decided to try honest work. Honestly, I'm just trying to keep a low profile now that God is in the picture and keep up a lifestyle," She said.

"With magic on the side?" Dean asked. "And scamming rich men as a hobby?"

"I was trying to help with the magic," she said. "And my new relationship is none of your business. He got me on with a rival company because we couldn't exactly work together. That would have been bad for business."

"Fine, do you know who the ghost is?" Sam asked to get back to the case.

"I summoned him. His name is Collin."

"Collin MacFay, he's a pretty famous serial killer," Dean said when she had confirmed their suspicions.

"Of course you'd know that," She huffed accusingly.

Their conversation halted when people started to move past them as they exited the house. Sam and Dean hadn't made it past the front entrance and weren't about to continue with their investigation until it was empty. At last Marco took a pile of brochures off the hall table, dropped the keys into Rowena's hand and fled with the people.

"Don't leave town," Dean called after him.

"Be nice, he'd cooperating," Rowena scolded under her breath.

"But from what we hear he's a dick most of the time," Sam said. "He doesn't have the best reputation with the police."

"Neither do you," she accused.

"Fair," Sam gave in.

"But he does know this business," Rowena said, "and he can tell just the type of people that would get onboard with a house like this. There are people that like the adventure of a murder house."

"It should be burnt to the ground," Sam said.

"It's not the house's fault," Dean countered.

"My point," Rowena said and pointed at Dean. "And the ghost won't let you burn the house down," she commented. "The reason I got caught the first time was because I pissed him off."

"Hex-bags?" Sam asked.

"They are pouches of cleansing materials and poultice for healing, there is a difference, but they don't always work," she explained. "Mainly because, even with magic, there are loop holes."

"Like what?" Dean asked.

"Like if the house isn't perfectly centred on the property or if their are magnetic fields and conflicting natural phenomena," she answered.

"What's wrong here?" Dean asked.

"I didn't think there was anything wrong but the house is off kilter somehow."

"Probably because of the sheer number of violent deaths. The place is too scarred," Sam offered.

"Or maybe a hurricane blew it off it's foundation," Rowena reasoned realistically.

"We were warned about those," Dean said and shrugged at his brother.

"Well whatever it is, it pissed him off so just get on salting and burning the bones," She ordered.

All at once the lights flickered, the air became deadly cold and the ghost rushed to attack.


	44. The Poets Dreamed

Chapter 44: The Poets Dreamed

"Get out!" Dean yelled and pushed Rowena ahead of him.

Out on the street they looked back at the house. The street was now deserted. The Impala was the only vehicle; lonely down the block.

"The one time you don't run in armed?" Rowena criticized to cover the fact that she was shaken by the encounter.

"I have my EMF detector. This wasn't supposed to be a bust in broad daylight," Dean retorted. "And you're welcome for saving you from a ghost attack."

"We need to regroup and find those bones," Sam said and sighed.

"You came all this way without knowing?" Rowena asked.

"We never really know that much coming into a case. That's why it's called an investigation, and even with all the research in the world, there is always a chance that we're wrong," Dean said. "But you know for sure that it's Collin?"

"Yes, I am sure, and now that you have seen him, do you not recognize him?" Rowena retorted.

"I wasn't paying attention to his face, I was trying to say your life," Danny spoke harshly. "Now come on, let's get away from her. Sam will find a library or city archives for research and you and I can get whatever you need for the spells to ward the house and protect it so that it's cleansed enough, once the ghost is gone, for you to still sell it as the character house you've marketed it as."

"We have some stuff in the trunk," Sam offered.

"So I'm helping you now?" Rowena asked.

"Wasn't this what you were trying to do in the first place?" Dean countered. "And you failed? Look Rowena, I'm all for you trying to make a life for yourself, and do good, but when has that ever worked out without a little help?"

"I'm not giving up magic, if that's what you're saying," She said.

"I don't expect you to but could you just try to be good?"

"I am trying. I have a job for the first time in a hundred years!" She said.

"Well then let's deal with this so you can get back to that."

"Fine."

"Drop me off at the library," Sam said as the arguing ended.

"You need a lift Ro?" Dean asked.

"That would be nice seeing as you scared away my boss and we rode together."

"But he lives just down the street."

"The office isn't in this neighbourhood genius!" she snapped.

"I can't picture you in an office," Dean laughed. "Or in that blazer for that matter. It is every shade of wrong. I picture you in a gothic mansion somewhere."

"I find that offensive," she said. "I prefer gilded halls."

"Yeah that makes sense," he added and they were off.

The library was located two streets down from the realtors office and Sam was dropped off with the intention of staying as long as he could. Rowena jumped into the front seat with Dean and together they went in search of ingredients. She lead him into a part of the town she knew well and together they stopped at several new age and occult book stores.

"Did you know Collin MacFay, the killer who's ghost we're hunting, was a poet? He ran a writers group and that's how he picked his victims," Dean said as they walked to the car after their last stop.

"I did not know that, nor do I care to. Why do you?" She asked.

"Everyone needs a hobby," Dean answered.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days? I call it a little disturbing. Working on your car, that's a hobby. Studying serial killers and all manner of bad thing in the world, that's obsession or insanity. Take your pick."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dean said with a shrug.

"You agree with me?" She asked in shock.

"Let's just say, my eyes have been opened to a great many things since I last left the Bunker full of myself and my ego. I've been humbled."

"Ha, doubtful. What happened?" She asked slyly.

"It's a long story," Dean answered with a sigh as he opened the trunk and revealed the stash beneath the false bottom. "See anything else in here that we can use? What else do we need to find?" He asked and stepped aside.

Rowena moved in and investigated the arsenal, the herbs and texts that Sam kept in stock and then the hex-bags, coins, charms and satchels that the boys had amassed or were given over the years for their own protection.

"Why do you have this?" She asked as she held up the pouch that Aiyanna had given to them to help jog Rowena's memory.

"It's a good luck charm from a medicine woman. She gave it to Sam and I as a blessing and a thank you for helping her with a poltergeist," Dean lied.

"It's not good luck," Rowena said. "You've been fooled."

"Hey! Stop that! How do I know you're not lying to get your hands on it?" Dean asked in protest as Rowena untied the leather laces, opened the pouch and looked inside it. A moment later, and in retort for Dean's protest, she was pouring it out into her hand and began explaining the herbs inside.

"This is a memory charm. A very powerful one," She said and looked at him. "I'm not lying to you."

"I know you're not," Dean said sadly and with a quick moment he grabbed her hand and blew the dust into her eyes.

"Dean Winchester!" She cried, coughed and as the dust settled and a bright pink haze flashed only in her eyes, she blinked and looked at him. "Oh Dean Winchester," she repeated herself as she looked at him and he understood that the memory charm had worked. "What have you done?" She asked sadly and brushed the last of the dust from her hands.

"I'm sorry Rowena but Chuck told me I had to gather his witches together again. You needed to remember."

"Then this is about the dolls. I can hear them now," She said and her eyes were drawn to the lock box. "This isn't about the ghost."

"Well it is, we're not going to leave with that unresolved, but we do need your help," Dean said. "This is about you."

"So you tricked me?" She asked.

"I was told I would have to, but I didn't think you would do it for me," Dean answered honestly.

"I suppose I can't blame you for taking the shot when it was right in front of you. I gave you that opportunity," she said and nodded.

"What?" He asked.

"I'm sure in all their stories and verses, the witches before me told you what they added to the dolls to make you and Sam. It must be why we are so connected. Why our paths always cross. Chuck's way of forcing us to work together for good. Along with my magic from the ancient land of my birth and my people, I gave you that spark that reacts in haste and asks questions later. You are the wisp and Samuel is the brave."

"Like the Disney movie?" Dean asked in confusion.

"He's the moose and you're the bear," She winked.

"There wasn't a moose in that movie!"

"No, and you've lost track of what is important. What I'm saying is you are impulsive, more likely to jump in front of a moving vehicle if it means saving a life. Sam is calculated. At the same time it makes you more loyal and trusting, and Sam is skeptically and trust is harder for him but when he find it and hold it, he's unmovable," She explained. "And so are you."

"And that's from you?" He asked.

"I guess Chuck took more of my memory than I thought. I was a good girl before the dolls."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Good on you," She laughed. "Because you shouldn't," she added with a wink. "You know..."

"So will you help us?" Dean asked.

"As long as you let me go my merry way after it is done."

"We'll clear out the ghost and you can come back here as soon as we're finished in Kansas."

"You'll let me go?" She asked again.

"We promised to let all the witches live," he answered honestly. "Even though we haven't had the best experiences with them. There is a trust there that we can't help but have and so, loyalty is with the five of you."

"They're witches Dean. What did you expect?"

"Pretty much this, the cases and the trials, but not the revelations that came with the explanations of the dolls."

"You wanted them destroyed, didn't you? That's your impulsiveness but it's impossible."

"I know that now," he said and closed the trunk when she stepped back from it.

"It could mean the end of you, and you were created with a plan in mind, though I don't know the particulars of it, you are meant to end something. Maybe it was the apocalypse, maybe its something else entirely, but something will end with you Dean Winchester."

"I don't find comfort in that," he confessed.

"Neither do, dear," she said sadly and touched his face. "That's why I wanted to forget."

"I don't think anyone wants to know their fate. That's what has me confused, why would Chuck give us the dolls in the first place?"

"I have no idea what the answer to that is, but you do have say in what happens. So why are you still gathering the witches? Why not just drop it?"

"When have you ever known us to do that?" Dean asked with a sideways glance.

"That's not my magic. I'll blame that on Davina."

"Yeah, sounds like a hoodoo thing," Dean said and smiled.

"Do you know why you're so connected with Kansas?"

"That was you?" He asked.

"No, it was all of us and none of us. Rather poetic actually. Each of us comes from a different place, a different land and our specific magic that comes from it. It is the deep ties to the lands of our birth that we have no way over, or around, or through. Though we leave, we can never let it go. It is the spark in ourselves that binds us to our homelands and our cultures. You and Sam needed to be bound to this land and so up from the earth the magic was conjured and the five of us bound you to the sparks in that state; from north to south and east to west, and upwards to the heavens and downward to whatever lies in the deepest depths; pasts hell to the core of all being. That's why there were five of us, but you've never been bound to the underworld, just Kansas. You'll always go back there."

"Interesting," Dean said dismissively.

"I see I lost you," Rowena said with a haughty flounce. "Come on, let's find your brother and get you back on the road."

"Why haven't you asked to see the dolls?" Dean questioned as they both climbed back into the car.

"I have no desire to handle that magic ever again. It was the stuff of primordial creation and no matter what people may say about me, I do have my limits. I don't know what you hope to achieve but they have got to go," She said.

"Are you angry that you have your memories back?" Dean asked once they were back on the road.

"A little but I know it's not your fault and so that is the real reason I am going to go with you. I want Chuck to take it away again," She answered. "Then I can go back to being selfish and self preserving, the Rowena I know and love. I don't like the greater good when it doesn't benefit me."

"And having your memories stops you from doing that?"

"Yes because like this I know that I partook in creating the saviour's race and I feel obligated to you because now I know it is you, I'm tied to you, and you know me. I hate to be captive of anything even my own feelings. I need this gone for my greater good."

"Fair enough. This open and philosophical Rowena kind of freaks me out."

"More than the all powerful witch Rowena?" She asked and turned to look at him.

"Yeah, I know how to deal with selfish Rowena. I wouldn't feel bad hunting her, but now, even if you do lose your memories, I'll never forget that we are bound to you and that makes the job more complicated. You may forget but I won't and someday this Rowena will find her way out again and it won't be my fault, it will be yours, and you'll have to learn to deal with it."

"I'll use that knowledge against you," she said defensively, knowing that Dean was right.

"You won't if you don't remember it," he retorted.


	45. Not A Word Was Spoken

Chapter 45: Not A Word Was Spoken

Silence fell as they traveled. Together they simply existed in the same time and space, mulling over everything that the other had said. If it was supposed to be the last piece in the puzzle it sure didn't feel like it, but rather it gave Dean a much more lost and disparaging feeling because he wasn't sure what to do when the time did come.

This journey had opened up a whole new perspective and closed so many doors. This creation, the magic made him more like the monsters that he'd hunted. It made him less human in his mind. While at the same time his desire to live, his sense of self worth and importance changed. He kind of sympathized with Rowena's want to forget, to hold onto the selfishness and self preservation. And then there was the guilt, the guilt of what he's done to her not just in bringing her memory back but in what was done to her by her having to ask to forget in the first place. He knew he had to protect the dolls but so much had happened, even with the bunker being a safe place, he wouldn't call it the safest place because so many bad things had happened within its walls that he knew the dolls wouldn't be entirely safe with him or Sam. So the dolls had to go back to Chuck and he had to keep them safe until that happened. But the question remained why did he hand them over in the first place?

Rowena and Dean sat in silence as he parked the car out in front of the library and texted Sam to let him know they were back but he responded that he wasn't finished and that they could wait or find something else to do.

"You could treat me to lunch," Rowena said as Dean showed her the message and was the first to break the silence.

"It's almost dinner time," Dean said. It wasn't a protest, he was hungry, but it was getting far too late to call it lunch.

"Dinner then, if you can handle a date with an older woman," Rowena responded saucily which garnered a sideways glance. "I know a lovely place just down the way. Samuel could walk to meet us if he so chooses," she added knowing that she needed to joke or try to be herself because the awkward silence of his regrets was getting to be too much for both of them.

"Okay," Dean said and gave in. "Where are we going?"

"I'll guide you," She said and together they went.

The restaurant was far more classy than Dean would have liked but Rowena was well known to the people, was given a private booth and Sam's name was give in anticipation of his joining them.

"So, why Boca?" Dean asked to make conversation now that the awkward silence between them couldn't be broken by driving or music.

"It's warm, usually sunny, there are many well to do people here. Money to be made and they are more on the conservative side then the people in California. I like it here," She answered.

"You don't strike me as conservative," Dean offered conversationally.

"Well maybe not in the conservative way, I am rather progressive and liberal for my age, but I have been around a long time and something you get used to is a way of things. And people here, the retirees and the religious old coots, they have a calmness and gullibility about them. I can trick them into just about anything, without magic I might add, and still benefit, but also the liberal culture changes so quickly and in four hundred years it can be a struggle to adapt when you've only just gotten used to something. I prefer to associate with the upper classes because they haven't changed all that much in the luxury and pace, and so my hustle to stay alive is balanced by their desire to stay in the same state of opulence. I have liberal views on women and race, and always have, but I do come from a very different time."

"I see," Dean said with a nod, content to let her talk. "But they have hurricanes here."

"And I have magic, so what's your point?" She asked saucily.

"I would just pick so many other places over Florida," Dean said and shrugged.

"You see, that's my point. You are always on the move and you're young, so you have an easier time, and this is your time. But in some ways you're a traditionalist as well, so is Sam, and you have a longing for a past establishment, for a quality of cars and an apple pie kind of life because that what you could never have, or its what your father could never have," She tried her hand at a philosophical approach. "When I was young I was poor, poor as dirt, but I had a gift and I was able to exploit magic to get me out of my poverty. The witch hunt was a bad time but I am adaptable and my magic help me mask what I was doing to settle in comfort. You can't be too boisterous or seek fame in times like that because that will bite you in butt. So you adapt, you hide what you're doing, or use it to mess with peoples minds. But in a world without magic, within certain circles, you can live very well for a good number of years. Things got tough again when I didn't have the backing of the grand coven but I'd been around long enough by then to know how to hide. So once again I set out for a new country, a new pool full of suckers, and I moved about, building my repertoire as I went. It has served me well, but I knew a time of comfort and safety and here I can achieve something like that again. That is, if you'll let me."

"This case, and the dolls, are your free pass," Dean said. "Just like so many free passes you've gotten from Sam and I."

"It's because you're fond of me," She said and bat her eyes.

"It's because, for a time, you were the lesser of the evils. Then you were the king of hell's mother trying to kill us. Then you helped with the mark of Cain and Amara and Chuck... I guess what I'm saying is there are time when you've been very useful and times when we've got into a lot of trouble that you've gotten us out of, not that you weren't part of the reason we were in trouble in the first place. I guess, maybe, we do like you Rowena. I just wish it wasn't so hard to trust you sometimes."

"Well now I know why all my attempts at killing you were so unsuccessful," she said and blushed.

"It was the dolls," Dean chuckled.

"My own creations working against me," she said. "Well, I guess I can't take all the credit. I was merely one of six."

"Six?" Dean asked. "Chuck said five."

"Five witches and one Lord Almighty," Rowena corrected herself. "You do the math."

"Okay but what did he put into the dolls?"

"Life," She said. "Every soul was created by the breath of God. Every soul is a touch of the divine. It's why they are so powerful and coveted by so many. They would not be if he didn't make them and before you were born he held you and formed you and shaped you to his will."

"I thought that was the angel's job," Dean said.

"No, they babysit. That's their true purpose," She said. "And while you're here on earth, or rather most unknowing creatures, go about their lives believing that they are alone in it all. Some have faith that they are being guided by something while others have no belief except for a belief that there is nothing except for this, but you and I know there are other states and in the ones before birth and after death there are creatures that watch and guide but it all comes down to the light that created it all. Who took a part of himself and made you, and me, and all that walked on the earth and dwells in heaven and hell and every place in between? It was God; Chuck."

"But why am I, and Sam, so special?" Dean asked.

"That's a question for him. He who took special care and notice of you and your brother, and me and my sister witches who helped to form his saviours. But don't think that you're the only ones out there. Maybe you are the only ones to be made this way, but he has done many things beyond the imagination to many others. There are other witches out there that could, theoretically, do what we did for him, so who is to say he hasn't done it to others. Who is to say he hasn't make others in a different way, trying things out and experimenting with his creation. Isn't that his prerogative seeing as he's God?" she asked. "Lucifer. Eve. Cain. The kid in his high school who wrestled a gun from a stranger's hand to save the lives of his classmates. What made them so different and special for God? Why did he give them that spark? Who's to say that those people, or the people who negotiate peace in the middle of wars, aren't a special creation like you and Sam put on this earth for a reason. Everyone has a special touch from God and you have to learn to see the divine in everything whether it's good or bad, big or small, in your eyes."

"And you know all of this because your memory is back?" Dean asked after their drinks had arrived and Sam texted that he was on his way.

"No Dean, I think, deep down, everyone knows this. It's whether they decide to acknowledge it, and that's when it brings revelations. But the deep particulars I remember and wish to forget have to do with just knowing God asked for me to do something specific for him. It's a hard pill to swallow when faced with that kind of primordial creationism. It's weird in a way. I've always felt that because of my magic I could be all powerful and that by obtaining more and more knowledge into different kinds of magic, and mastering them, that is what made me powerful. But when I was faced with his power, his knowledge, and the idea of creating something so much bigger than any of us, that was hard to come to terms with," she explained. "It's a lot to carry around with you when you've tried all your life to cheat death and gain power. So I don't want the memory of that specifically. I'm fine with knowing God. I just don't want to know my role in it."

"Don't I know it," Dean said and nodded. "I wish I could forget and go back to the days when demons were my biggest problem."

"Maybe you can," She offered. "All you have to do is ask next time you see Chuck."

"Then this whole trip would be for nothing and all that I've done, the guilt, the second guessing, that would continue to eat away at me. I feel some peace, I think, knowing. It does present other worries and I'm sure none of it is good for my mental health but I don't know if I could asked for that and forget all the good that I know it means."

"See, you're noble and loyal and selfless. I'm not," She said. "But this world is a better place with the Winchesters in it and I knew that before my memory came back," she added as she waved Sam over to their location.

"I ordered you a beer," Dean said as his brother sat down.

"Thanks, you two enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"It's been pleasant and insightful," Rowena answered and winked at Dean.

"Our time together is always insightful, at the very least," Dean nodded and laughed.

"And generally pleasant?" Rowena asked with a sideways glance.

"Ha!" He laughed, "When you're not trying to kill us, sure!"

"I said generally," She teased.

"So Sammy, give us some good news so we can get outta Boca asap and head back to Kansas," Dean said.

"You know about Kansas?" Sam asked and looked to Rowena.

"For once in our lives we got that lucky," Dean said and laughed as Rowena nodded. "She practically did it herself."

"Well that's good news," Sam said apologetically. "And yes, Collin MacFay is buried in a small graveyard here in Florida," he added when he saw the awkwardness and slight distress in Rowena's features.

"I'm shocked," Dean said at the revelation. "I was sure he'd be in some bone yard attached to a max security prison."

"And he would have been had he not been such a poster child in his literary life and because the house is still standing. But also, and maybe most eery, he bought the plot, the head stone, and the funeral announcement all before he was ever caught and it is a local land mark and tourist attraction for those in the know. I'm surprised, with your knowledge, that you didn't know," Sam said.

"Well I don't particularly like reading poetry so why would I?" Dean asked defensively.

"Because you have an obsession with serial killers," Rowena said to side with Sam.

"Regardless," Dean shrugged it off. "It's not good for us if it's a popular site. It will make it harder for us to sneak in and dig him up."

"It's never stopped us before," Sam commented.

"So we wait until the wee hours of the morning to break the law. For now let's enjoy a lovely little dinner and good company," Rowena said. "And may I remind you, just to put the little bug in your ear, you do have a witch with great powers on your side for this one. Will it be as difficult as you expect my dear boys?" She asked her question with all of her charm and flamboyance.

"Well I think I'll have the surf and turf," Dean said excitedly as the convenience of the situation caused him to relax. "I deserve it." He added as he leaned back and waved the waitress over.

"Tell me all about your grand adventure with my dear sister witches," Rowena said to Sam as she moved in closer to him.

"Dean hasn't filled you in?" He asked awkwardly.

"I want accuracy Samuel not the action movie version I am bound to hear from Dean," she answered.

"Very well," Sam said.

"This is going to need more beer," Dean said and winked at his brother.

"Or would you prefer wine?" Rowena asked.

"I'll have a glass of wine," Sam said and smiled.

"Oh fancy," Dean teased and the order was placed.


	46. The Church Bells All Were Broken

Chapter 46: The Church Bells All Were Broken

Dinner was a surprisingly civil affair. Stories were told, alcohol was consumed and everyone seemed to lighten up, but Sam and Dean were still very suspicious about the witch before them and whether they could trust her to play her part. It was a knowledgeable suspicion, knowing full well that Rowena had tried and succeeded in screwing them over before and they'd done the same to double cross her. It was good, therefore, that they both remained with her as the sun set and the evening worse on.

When the restaurant had announced that it would be closed the kitchen, leaving only the bar open, the trio paid their bill and headed for the car.

"We need to make one stop before we head in search of the grave yard," Dean said as they piled into the Impala.

"We do?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"You wanna ruin your suit digging up graves or restricted by the fit? I don't," Dean said and turned the key in the ignition.

"Good call," Sam said.

"I could preform a spell to raise the bones from the earth," Rowena offered.

"Seriously?" The brothers asked spun to look in the back seat.

"Sure, and it will leave the grave relatively untouched. So if it is a tourist attraction, no one will be any wiser."

"Well that's convenient. You wanna try our luck some more today?" Dean asked his brother.

"I'll gladly let Rowena do all the work but I'd also like to change out of the cloths that I've been in all day," Sam responded. "And what if something goes wrong? Not that I don't believe you are capable Rowena, I just mean with the ghost and the bones and the spirits desire for self preservation."

"And there will be fire and the last thing we need to do is try to get smoke out of these cheep suits," Dean said.

"What could possibly go wrong? He's tethered to the house, is he not?" Rowena asked.

"Hi, we're the Winchesters, have you met us?" Dean asked in response. "Everything can, and will, go wrong if we are involved. It's like our super power, only it's not very super. If we know one thing for sure in this life, it is that we have the worst luck in the world."

"I make my own luck," Rowena countered.

"Then everything should run smoothly but we're just going to change for comfort," Dean said and pulled the Impala back into the street.

It took less than an hour for the Boys to get back to their motel, change and hit the road again. They pulled to a stop outside the old church, shown their flashlights at the bronze announcement board that told of the important people buried there and waited as they listen for the church bells to toll the hour. When it didn't happen they looked at each other with suspicion.

"Modern technology gentlemen. The bells are on times these days and don't sound at night so that people can sleep," Rowena said and walked past them. "Are you coming or not?" She asked as she looked over her shoulder.

Jumping into action they followed and quickly found the grave in question. It was in an elaborately decorated, fenced in, area of the old grave yard with a large stone slab covering most of the space within the iron fence.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Dean asked.

With a wave of her hand and a couple of perfectly placed words, the stone rose off the ground and hovered in mid air.

"I don't think so Dean," Sam said as the stone moved away and settled itself on the open ground near them.

"Well damn! If you wanna go good Rowena we'll give you a job," Dean said and relaxed.

"This is the last thing I want to do all the time," She said and began laying out her things for the more complicated spell. "And I don't believe you have the funds to pay me the rate I would deserve. So I'll stick with real estate, but thank you."

"We don't have any money, just some fake credit cards and the money we win hustling pool and poker," Dean confessed.

"Exactly my point," Rowena said as she finished her set up. "So once I get these bones out you'll have to act fast."

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because it's technically a reanimating spell," she answered.

"Like Zombies?" Dean asked. "And I left my bat in the bunker!"

"You mean Dad's bat," Sam corrected.

"It's mine now Sammy!"

"What good is a bat against the walking dead?" Rowena asked.

"Bashing in heads, isn't that what a bat is for?" Dean asked in retort. "Then you burn the bones."

"Well do that as soon as the beast is raised. I'll remind you, he was a serial killer in his life and liked to collect heads. He'll do well as a Zombie!" She said and started her spell.

When she was finished and the spell hadn't brought the body to the surface Rowena cursed and tried again.

"Why isn't it working?" Dean asked anxiously.

"I don't know. It should have," Rowena stated.

"Have you done this before?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I've raised the undead before. Why do you think they just started roaming around Atlanta?" She asked sarcastically.

"That's your fault?" Dean asked skeptically.

"I needed to make a quick get away," she said with a shrug.

"Are we sure this is where the bones are?" Dean asked.

"Yes. All the particulars were in the article. Photos and all. The man bought and planned for everything including a lead lined coffin so that, in the case of flooding from hurricanes, he'd stay buried."

"The coffin is lead lined?" Rowena asked.

"Yes."

"Well there's the problem. The beast is trapped in a box. Guess you are digging tonight after all. Otherwise it would have crawled out by now."

"I'll get the shovels," Dean sighed and left.

"You can bash its head in with the shovel right?" She asked Sam.

"Yes," he answered and together they waited for Dean.

The digging was slow and painstaking in the cramped confines of the fenced off graved but as the hole grew deeper the brothers could hear the beast in the box groaning and moaning and beating at the cell it was trapped inside.

"So demons, ghosts, poltergeists and now zombies. What an adventure we've been on," Dean said breathlessly as he leaned on the shovel. "We need a plan."

"Have the fire ready. Lift the lid. Hit the beast with a Molotov's and slam the box again," Sam offered.

"Good plan. Rowena can you make the fire bomb while we finish? The stuff is in the duffle," Dean asked.

"I got it," She said and busied herself.

A few more minutes of digging and the whole lid was exposed. The box rocked and moved as Sam and Dean stood on it to keep the monster inside its prison.

"Okay Rowena, on our count you throw that into the box. Sam and I will lift it and drop it again. You ready?" Dean asked.

"Just let me light the thing," She said as shovels were tossed out of the hole. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Ready Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Ready."

"One...Two...Three..."

The lid was lifted and the beast grabbed at Sam's legs pulling and tugging.

"Let go of my brother!" Dean yelled and kicked the beast in the head with his steel toe boot. It buckled and fell back. "Now Rowena!"

A flash of light. A scream and the lid was slammed. Sam and Dean jumped on it again as the beast caught it and then settled.

"Should we open it and make sure it's good and dead?" Sam asked.

"We didn't salt the bones," Dean said.

"Okay, let's just be thorough," Sam added.

"Wait did you get bitten?" Rowena asked.

"I don't think so," Sam answered.

"You'll let me make you a poultice anyway, just as a precaution?" She asked.

"Sure, if it will give you peace of mind," he answered.

"It will."

"Okay let's check on the Zombie," Dean commented and the lid was lifted once more.

The body laid chard but whole, and so, just to be sure the the job was done, they salted it and set it on fire once more with the lid and the grave open to the air. They stood around watching it burn to nearly nothing before the coffin was closed and they climbed out once more to fill in the hole one more.

"Any chance you can move the earth back into place?" Dean asked as he stood in front of Rowena.

"Yes," she answered when Sam was out of the hole as well.

Rowena worked quickly to set the grave right and together they fled when it was done.

Stopping first, while it was still dark, at the former haunted murder house to lay down the protective charms that Rowena wanted and so that she could mix the poultice for Sam's wounds, before they moved on back to the motel. Rowena blessed the house with sage and palo santo wood as Sam sat with his leg elevated and covered in a sticky black muck like substance and Dean paced nervously watching for nosy neighbours.

"Let me see now," she said as she came back with a carved stone mortar still smoking.

"I'm fine," Sam protested as Dean rushed about the house pulling up floor boards and hiding the satchels where Rowena had instructed him to lay them.

"We don't need you infected. Just let me take this precaution," she said and slathered another pail grey paste all over Sam's cuts.

"Thank you," he finally gave in and let her work. "You know, if you were really smart you'd buy this house and turn it into an attraction or museum."

"How is that keeping a low profile Samuel?" She asked. "That sounds like something Dean would be into, but not me. When I'm trying my best to just live my life, I try to stay away from the paranormal and the violent killers. At least now I do."

"Fair," Sam said and nodded as Dean returned.

"Okay. I think that about does it and I wasn't attacked or anything so I'd say our job is done here," Dean said and plopped himself down in the seat next to his brother. "And we should probably scat before the neighbours wake up and get suspicious."

"I'm going to finish this saging, just to be safe and then you can drop me off at my flat and in the morning we'll get on the road," Rowena said as she stood before them. "You two just wait here and don't touch the poultice Sam."

"But wait, what if you split on us?" Sam asked. "We can't let you out of our sight, let alone, leave you for several hours."

"She's not going anywhere. She wants the memories gone," Dean said before Rowena could protest.

"Which means going to Kansas with you but I am not staying in a cheep motel with you tonight and I have to make up some kind of excused for my boss to be away for several days."

"Oh yeah, you are working an actual honest job. Can't you just memory charm them?" Dean asked.

"I'd like to have a job to come back to," She said and picked up the stone mortar once more. "Just sit tight. I'll be right back."

"And we have to return the files to the police in the morning," Sam said to his brother.

"Right and tell them what exactly?" Dean asked.

"Tell them that we copied all the information from the files and are bringing it all back to the team at Quantico for analysis and then we leave town and never come back," Sam said. "Case remained open and we get away."

"All right but then we hit the road. This things seems to be coming to an end and yet it feels like something else is just about to begin."

"I agree," Sam said. "But we'll deal with it as it comes."

"Like we always do," Dean sighed. "Wake me when she's done," he added and closed his eyes and slumped over on the sofa.


	47. I Admire Most

Chapter 47: I Admire Most

In their trusting way the boys dropped Rowena off and returned to their motel.

"Are we pressing our luck?" Sam asked when they were finally alone and he rolled up his tattered pant leg to see that his wounds had completely healed under Rowena's powers.

"Probably, but we know where she's living. We know where she is working and she has the memories back. So if we have to go to Kansas without her I hope Chuck will just zap her into place," Dean answered and fell backward onto his bed. "I mean, do we really even need them anymore?" He asked. "The plan has changed, hasn't it?"

"I guess that all depends on you. What do you want to do Dean?" Sam asked as he began to pace.

"The dolls have to continue to exist. That is what keeps us coming back, keeps death at bay and keeps us from really giving in to the angel dicks, or maybe it's our get our of jail free card if something did happen and angels took over," he added with a shiver that spoke to is disgust at the idea. "Those dolls in a way make us more than just two guys trying to screw over the angels and demons and in a way I think that was Chuck's plan all along. Like his 'break in the case of emergency' plan."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"Well, looking back on everything. On all the little quarks, and what not, that each witch gave us, you have to wonder if the plan Chuck made when he created everything hasn't changed and evolved all along. I mean why now? Why us? Why not thousands of years ago? Maybe he's changed his mind too."

"Good point. I mean it could have all been avoided if he just took some responsibility over his creation," Sam spoke and there was aggravation in his tone.

"I think, in some way, he did that by putting us here as the monkey wrench thrown at the apocalypse," Dean said and sat up again. "I admire him most for that. I wish I didn't know about it. I get why Rowena wants to be oblivious, but the more I think about it the more I get it. But that's not our big problem right now, now is it?"

"We shouldn't have the dolls and we don't have the ability to protect them the way they need to be protected. And if anyone finds out about them, if say Rowena wanted to hold it against us, those are big hurdles to get over, if they fell into the wrong hands. The bunker is safe but not impenetrable," Sam carried on for his brother.

"We need to convince Chuck to take them back," Dean said. "We may not even need the witches but they know what the dolls are and what they mean so maybe we use them to help us convince Chuck."

"Okay, so we do what they want us to do and assemble them all in a shack in the back wood of Kansas?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. As vague as that sounds it, sounds about right, and is kinda how we roll. When have we ever had a solid plan pan out?" Dean said and fell back once more.

"Lucifer and the cage?" Sam said. "Well sorta."

"Exactly my point. So we worked and we plotted and we gathered the rings, and that whole time we were like, we'll never say yes, and then the plan changed in the last what, hours before the apocalypse was fought?" Dean commented.

"And it worked," Sam said.

"Sure, it worked. It still landed you in the cage with Lucifer, at least your soul," Dean said.

"I see your point," Sam nodded.

"Good, so now sleep. The drive will be another twenty-four for us. We could do it in a shot if we're well rested and looking forward to our beds in our bunker!"

"Yeah. I don't see why we shouldn't stop at the bunker first."

"Home sweet home," Dean said and curled up. "And my bed that remembers me and all the comforts. Yes. Let's go home, finally," he added dreamily.

"And hope that Rowena shows up in the morning," Sam grumbled.

"Truth be told, I kinda like Rowena and I think she likes us more than she let's on," Dean said and yawned.

"Yeah, same, but don't tell her that."


	48. They Caught The Last Train

Chapter 48: They Caught The Last Train

The boys awoke the following morning to the soft knocking at their motel room door and to their surprise, and relief, and in their dead to the world, nearly still asleep phase, they let Rowena in without much fuss.

"Why is it morning already?" Dean groaned and tossed his gun aside before falling face first into his pillow again.

"I thought you boys wanted to get on the road. I brought coffee and breakfast burritos from this fantastic little place on First and I figured you'd be ready to pile into the car," Rowena said and looked to Sam who though he had only just woken up as well seemed much more with it than Dean.

"Thank you," he said as she handed him a tray of coffee cups. "It has been a long couple of weeks for us," he added apologetically. "We can be ready in less then an hour. Right Dean?"

Dean only groaned in response.

"I could hit him with a waking curse," Rowena offered. "It's ten times more potent then a double shot of espresso."

"I'm up. No magic. I'm awake," Dean protested, sat up and forced his eyes open making himself look insane.

"I'll take the first shift driving if you want to crash in the back seat," Sam offered.

"No, I'll do it," Dean said. "But first I need a shower. And food."

"I'll shower first, you eat," Sam said and moved away.

"I'm getting too old for this," Dean sighed as he forced himself out of bed and sat down at the small kitchenette next to Rowena.

"Here," she said and handed him a coffee. "And the spell won't hurt you, I promise."

"Thank but I'll be fine. I might sleep for a week when this is finally over but I should be fine."

"You know, Sam and I could take turns driving if you want to sleep," she said and passed him a foil wrapped burrito from the paper bag before her.

"No offence, but I don't even like to let Sammy drive my car," Dean said with his mouth full. "Wow, this is really good," he added happily.

"The way to a man's heart..." she laughed. "The finer things in life, mainly food, are what keep me going."

"If you really want to drive, I'll let you but I'll be in the front see beside you the whole time. Awake," he said and smiled.

"I only offered to give you a break," She said. "I'm not offended," she added as Sam re-emerges from the washroom.

"Sammy, these burritos are amazing!" Dean said excitedly.

"Well you're much happier now," Sam laughed.

"Rowena gets to pick the restaurants from here on out," Dean said.

"I'm okay with that if it means we're not feasting on Gas and Sip food the whole way home. Now go shower," Sam ordered and Dean moved away, "Thank you for that," he added when he and Rowena were alone.

"It's the least I can do for you boys. My boss is ready to give me a raise if the house sells and this little vacation is being fully funded by the company. Paid vacation leave, can you believe it?" She asked.

"The perks of and honest living," Sam said. "I'll never know that life but good for you Rowena."

"It's only taken me this long to achieve it," she said and sighed. "But if I can do it, so can you Samuel."

"There are two dolls in the trunk of the car that say otherwise," Sam countered but smiled. "It's all right though, I have learned to appreciate what we do have."

"I envy you, you know," she said as he sat down beside her. "All my life I have been searching for power thinking it would make me happy, but all it has ever gotten me was trouble. So many times I've been on the verge of demise, falling like I'd caught my last train, and for so long I've worked to stay alive, but why? What is it all for? When you don't have relationships. Family comes and goes, leaving you high and dry. What good is it? You and Dean are so devoted to the idea of family and the joy that it must bring you to know that you're in this together. It's a lonely world to do this in alone."

"We are very fortunate in many ways, but it's not too late for you."

"Oh yes it is. I have too much hatred and distrust to reconcile with Fergus. But I do have a future here so maybe I'll meet someone and make something of life once and for all," she said when she saw the distress in his eyes. "Or maybe I'll forget all about it when Chuck fixes my memory."

"All right, I feel human again," Dean said as he burst out of the washroom half dressed. "Who's ready to hit the road?"

"Could you put a shirt on before you jump the gun?" Sam asked

"Fine, but come on, we have got to hit the road. Rowena is driving."

"Yeah right!" Sam laughed.

"She bought burritos, I'm going to let her drive. I have decided. You're in the back seat little brother. Make the most of it."

"You've won him over with food," Sam said and laughed.

"Well I'm glad," she said and stood, pulled another burrito out of the bag and handed it to Dean. "Bought you two, just in case."

"Watch yourself Sam, I may have to replace you," Dean said.

"I got you another too Sam," she laughed.

"I'll save it for the road," Sam said but his thank you was implied.

"So what can I do to help us get on the road?" She asked.

"We'll just pack up and be on our way," Sam said.

"I'll run the file back to the police precinct, you pack up," Dean said and dashed for the door.

Not long after that, Dean returned to find Sam and Rowena waiting at the office. They'd packed up and checked out and after a slight shuffle in the car they hit the road. Rowena did drive for a short time before the anxiety of not driving got the better of Dean, and his sheer presence next to her, all fidgety, made Rowena pull over and switch places with him. After that Sam and Dean took turns for the main duration of the drives. Together they made the journey all day and all night and into the morning of the next day. They passed the time singing to keep themselves awake and listening to Rowena's stories; not those of her witch craft but the transitions of power, the world at large and what technology had done for and against her. Finally around noon the next day they pulled the Impala into the bunker garage and settled in, crashing almost immediately for a good long sleep.


	49. Them Good Ole Boys

Chapter 49: Them Good Ole Boys

By the next morning, and having slept right through, Sam and Dean had settled back into their bunker. Rowena enjoyed the library as they plotted their next move.

"So where is the shack?" Dean asked as he found Sam and Rowena in the map room.

"Not far from here," Sam answered. "It's like we were meant to find this bunker."

"Bound to the earth, this continent and these widely diverse people," Dean said, repeating what he'd heard from multiple witches on their journey but mostly Rowena. "Weird thought, with all that originally happened in the Middle East and Asia, why here in America?"

"Because, in grand scheme of things earth is tiny," Rowena offered. "I've also heard from Eva. She and Davina arrived two days before us. Aiyanna is with them now and Rei should be with us shortly."

"Now that you remember, you're all friends again?" Dean asked.

"No, I've known Eva for a long tome without my memories. She won't join my super mega coven," Rowena said. "But we have been in contact for most of our lives. Light magic or white magic is very similar to the Celtic magic I specialized in," She explained. "The others are way beyond me, or were, until I started branching out and the grand coven caught wind of it and kicked me out."

"You have rules about which magics you can use?" Dean asked.

"It's how you keep order and control over people. I don't like rules though and feel like they are there to be broken," She responded saucily.

"I agree," Dean winked.

"You two are too much trouble together," Sam sighed.

"You love it Samuel," Rowena laughed. "So, shall we hit the road?" She asked, "and get this over with. I do need to get back to Boca."

"Soon, I've invited some friends to the bunker," Sam answered as a booming knock at the door echoed through the space. "That's got to be them."

"Who is it?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Giizis and Agaashinyi, and the Garuda," Sam answered as he opened the door and the feathered companions walked in in human form.

"Wow," Akio gasped at the iron railing. "This place is great."

"The good ole boys," Dean said as the giant came further into the space and they embraced.

"You seem very content Dean Winchester," Giizis observed.

"I am. It's good to be home," Dean said.

"We left the four at the shack and together they have begun the protection spells. You will bring the last and summon the Almighty Creator," Agaashinyi added.

"Yeah, of course," Sam said. "But I promised you a look around."

"It can wait, we have work to do first," Kachi said. "And it is about time that this was dealt with. Then we can come back here for drinks and enlightenment."

"I love this plan," Dean said excitedly. "Specifically the drinking part."

"Gentlemen, this is Rowena," Sam said as the only woman stepped forward.

"I remember you now," She said as she was greeted.

"You are well liked by our friends," Akio stated as he looked to Sam and Dean. "Or you would not be permitted here."

"I have my own room, even before I remembered," Rowena said and smiled. "They like me more then they'll admit," she added teasingly.

"All right, all right, let's get a move on," Dean said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "You flying or do you want a ride?" He asked the Garuda.

"We'll fly along to provide protection with the Thunder Birds," Kachi answered. "And we will cause the cover of Darkness that such a meeting desires."

"In the middle of the day?" Sam asked.

"It is necessary and not all together uncommon. It has happened several times thought out history for many of the Creators moments of involvement. Now go," Akio answered.

"I guess this is happening now," Dean said as he and his brother steered Rowena back toward the garage. "You ready?"

"I have no choice in the matter," She retorted. "But are you?"

"Not really, and yes completely, all at the same time," Sam answered and together they left.


	50. This'll Be The Day That I Die

_**A/N: Thank you everyone who has been reading and commenting on this story. I have decided to post the conclusion this week. So thank you again, and enjoy!**_

Chapter 50: This'll Be The Day That I Die

The shack was old, hardly standing, when they arrived but passing through the doors the magic hit them. The birds had been circling above to show them the way and to protect the location's secrets. Sam had made the call to Chuck as they drove and now as they walked in they were greeted by the sound of Aiyanna's drum and Rei's flute. The gentle chanting of Eva and the tingling of shells and talismans of Davina. They sat around the small table in the middle of the room where there was one place left for Rowena.

"Did you bring the dolls?" Davina asked from her place at the table.

"Come Rowena, sit by me," Eva added cheerily.

"We brought them," Sam answered and dropped the lock box onto the table.

"And the Creator?" Aiyanna asked.

"I'm here kiddos," Chuck answered as he appeared before them. "It's good to see you all again. What a reunion!"

"You doubted we'd get them here?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"No, I had every ounce of faith that you would pull it off but what have you decided to do with these dolls?" he asked.

"Don't you already know?" Sam asked in response.

"I do, but the ladies who created you do not. So what do you want to accomplished here?" He asked.

"We want you to take them back and put them somewhere were no one will ever find them," Dean said. "They need to be protected and we can't do that here."

"You don't want to destroy them?" Eva asked.

"No, they are too important, we are too important and our job isn't finished just yet, or at least we don't think it is. Is it?" Sam asked as he looked to Chuck.

"No, far from it," Chuck answered with a chuckle.

"So why, if what we know now is so important, why did you make us get the witches, or give us these dolls in the first place," Dean asked as Chuck reached across the table and grabbed the lock box.

"Because I felt like you two, now that you know who I am, have developed a kind of doubt that no one else has. It's not a doubt in me and my ability but in what you mean to me and the plan. I need you to see what you mean to creation, not just this world, but all of them. So the true moral of this story, Dean, is this; I am the God of all gods, I am the light of all lights, and you are my will on this plane and in all of them. You have a part to play in all of creation and for all peoples, not just the one you believe you fit into," Chuck explained. "My creation is vast and fully functioning on its own, but there are ways to get from one to another, and in all of them, you and Sam have dominion over evil."

"You could have just told us that," Dean said. "And saved us the hassle, and them," he added and motioned to the ladies.

"Oh I need them for one last spell," Chuck said. "And I wanted you to know them. I know your distrust for the supernatural but you have a divine place within it and these ladies have guided you valiantly thus far without you knowing it. Now I don't expect you all to get along perfectly or agree with everything they do, but you how have magical allies within their specific peoples. It's important that you turn to them when you need them because you are for the human race."

"But I don't want to remember this," Rowena said.

"And I have put them in your path and you in theirs so that you don't need to remember," Chuck responded. "But I need your magic now."

"Fine," she huffed.

"What do you need from us, oh great one?" Rei asked.

"I need you to cast this spell on the lock box," Chuck said and unrolled an ancient papyrus scroll onto the table.

"It's a protection spell," Davina said as she read it.

"It's a locking and binding spell," Eva added.

"It's a grounding spell," Rowena said and rolled her eyes defiantly.

"It's the spell used to build Lucifer cage," Chuck said. "It's all kinds of spells with one purpose. You will lock the dolls in this box and the only being in all of creation who can open it will be death. I will take the box to death's library and that is where it will stay until I say it is time to open it."

"All right," the ladies spoke in unison and began their music once more.

"So this is going to be that easy?" Dean whispered to Chuck.

"Sure, if that's what you want to think," He said and smiled. "But was it all that easy?" He asked.

"No, it was hard," Sam said. "It's confusing and could have been avoided if you just talk to us first."

"Yeah!" Dean stated defensively.

"You should know better by now. That's not part of my plan. You have to learn these thing on your own or rather together, but without my influence. Sure I'm always around to help if things get dire but I won't pull you out or change the path. That is yours and you choose how to navigate through it."

"Would you have destroyed them had we come to you and asked you to, even knowing what we know now?" Sm asked.

"If you chose to die today because you believed that the job was done, or could be done without you, then yes. I would have destroyed the dolls and death would have come for you. I owe you that much and when you are done, and have made that choice, Death will come for you. All you have to do is ask."

"That would be so selfish," Dean said.

"Yes, and you are allowed to be that. There is a day in the future when you will ask it of me and I will grant it. But your faith, your spirits, have been renewed with this quest. Today is not that day," Chuck explained and with a flash of light that issued from him, the chanting and music grew and subscribed, and all at once the spell was done. "Well done ladies," Chuck said as he reached across the table and picked up the box. "I'll take that and I'll bid you farewell."

"So that's it?" Rowena asked.

"Yes," he answered and touched her forehead.

"Why am I here?" She asked and looked around suspiciously. "You," she said as something like anger flashed in her eyes as she stared down Davina. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh calm down Rowena, we were leaving," Davina said with a roll of her eyes.

"I was thinking of buying a house," Chuck said with the box under one arm he wrapped the other around Rowena's shoulder. "Something like a murder house to make into a museum of psychopaths or something. Do you have any ideas?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do, but why would God want that?" She asked.

"Rowena, have you learned nothing in the years that we have known each other? I have to make a living somewhere to keep my identity a secret," Chuck said with a laugh and he and Rowena vanished into thin air.

"Well, I guess that's that," Eva said as she stood and stepped away from the table. "I brought you some pies sugar," she added and looked to Dean. "I think it's time to eat, drink and be merry."

"Whiskey and rye?" He asked slyly.

"Both, I'm not fussy," She answered with a flounce. "When was the last time you had a good old fashioned party?"

"Never," he laughed.

"That means we're taking over your bunker," Davina said. "We're all very curious."

Sam and Dean looked at each other skeptically and then threw caution to the wind.

"Why the hell not?" Dean asked. "Party at our place! BYOB."

"You gonna invite the angel and the demon?" Rei asked darkly.

"Nah, that would be a waste of alcohol, at least on the angel," Dean answered.

"You'll need a lot to get the Thunder Birds in the party mood,"Aiyanna said.

"That's why I said BYOB," Dean responded.

"And this will be the day that you die," Sam said with a roll of his eyes at his brother's excitement.

"Weren't you listening Sammy? Chuck said not today," Dean winked and lead the gathering of witches out of the shack in the back woods of Kansas.

 _ **The End!**_


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